Reverie
by Naishu
Summary: With the thoughts of the world running through her head she only had two wishes: to sleep, and to dream. She was supposed to sleep forever. Instead, she woke up in the care of Celestial Being. Can this outlaw organization help her to find meaning in her curse or will it destroy her? Second season AU. LylexOC
1. Prologue

AN: Hi all!

So this is my first time writing for the G00 fanbase although I've been a fan of the series for a while. I re-watched it this month out of boredom and I fell in love with it all over again, hence this story! This is an OC story (That's my niche, refer to my profile for further elaboration) although I'm not sure of a pairing yet (if there is one). This chapter is a bit of a prologue and is shorter than a standard chapter would be, I just felt like it was a good place to cut this one off. The song that inspired this chapter is "Bullet" from Hollywood Undead.

Thanks to StormyMonday for reading over this for me to let me know it wasn't a useless midnight drabble, and on that note I'm looking for someone who would be interested in Beta-ing for me. Also, I have a penchant for long AN's. You can feel free to skip, it's really just my babbling about my thoughts when writing!

Let me know what you think!

Naishu

**don't own anything except my OC.

Set at the beginning of Season 2.

* * *

**Prologue**

_"A person starts dying when they stop dreaming."_

_-Brian Williams_

The wind whipped across the empty rooftop, the mid-day sun beating down with frightening intensity that would elicit the weather network to issue a UV warning…not that Karen Weiss was particularly interested in the weather. Her legs hung idly off the edge of the building as her head was crushed firmly in her hands, shoulders shaking.

_-Those reports need to be done for tomorrow but…-_

_-I can't believe I got these two-for-one!-_

_-As if I was grounded for that…my mom is such a pain.-_

_-I swear to god I'm gonna kill someone if that deposit was late…-_

Her face twitched. Her mind was racing with a million thoughts, so many that she believed she could barely hear her own. The people who walked obliviously thirty stories below her had no idea that she was able to hear everything…to feel what they were feeling and know what they were thinking about…and they had no idea how it tormented her.

Her tired eyes finally opened as she lifted her head from her hands. She hadn't slept for more than an hour or two in weeks and she hadn't dreamed in months. Her eyelids were so heavy that half the time they refused to stay open, but her brain refused to enter into the blissful unawareness of sleep. No. Her mind was always reeling with everyone else's thoughts…even when they slept.

She'd climbed the building that day to escape the torturous crowds that mulled below her. In reality she couldn't escape the streams of thoughts but at least they were quieter now, like a hum or an urgent whisper. As she watched the crowds below weave about their daily lives she couldn't help but realize that the asphalt far below her had never looked so soft and inviting before in her life. If she slid off the edge of the building right now she could fall into the blackened man-made earth below and sleep forever. Stop thinking forever. Not hear anything. Ever.

No.

She wouldn't succumb that easily.

She looked at the bottle of pills in her hand. They were sought after, each one could earn her about fifteen dollars on the streets, but she had no intention of benefitting off the cash value of her medication. The little cream-colored pills were meant to put her to sleep. They'd worked at first and she'd never felt so relieved in her life. Then her 'gift' (as the psychologists had put it) had adapted and made them useless in safe doses. Then she'd moved to the not-safe ones.

She didn't want to die. That's what she kept telling herself. She _did_ however want to sleep. She wanted to sleep for days, weeks, years if she could. She wanted to sleep and she wanted to dream; after all if she couldn't dream then what meaning did her life really hold? This is what made up her mind.

She popped the cap off the little bottle of cream-colored promises and started taking them in rapid succession, almost as though she was scared she would change her mind. Her mouth was full of the bitter pills and she washed them down with the contents of a bottle of warm water. She'd been on the rooftop for quite a while. It hurt to swallow so much at once but she didn't care.

She looked down at the ground far below her again and this time shifted her heavy legs off the ledge and let them slump on the other side. She rested her head on the low lip of the roof and watched the colors of the vehicles moving below her.

_-God-damned traffic!-_

_-Will she like purple or red better?-_

_-I'm late! I'm late! Crap!-_

She sighed against the heated concrete and smiled lightly as she saw the colors of the cars start to blur together. The sun started beating down with incredible ferocity that reminded her of a blanket in winter. Yes. A blanket of intensive UV rays sent to whisk her away into a deadly dream world that she avidly hoped would end in a coma. Permanent sleep. She had more than enough to catch up on.

She didn't know when she really slipped away or if she was starting to sleep at all. The problem with Insomnia was that you never really knew if you were awake or asleep, and hers was incredibly severe. Regardless, eventually the sounds of passing cars and the thoughts of their owners died away and her mind fell silent.

Beautifully silent.

* * *

Tieria sighed as he stepped out of the nondescript car he'd arrived in. He hated Earth's atmosphere and he hated the temperature of this particular city even more. He shivered as he felt himself sweat, something that he'd never quite gotten used to.

The person he was looking for was apparently on the roof of the tall office building in front of him. He wasn't sure what the reason for that was but as he looked up he couldn't immediately see anything. He'd have to go up himself.

He'd come to the building to fulfill his duties as VEDA's assistant. Of course VEDA wasn't giving him orders anymore, but this particular one held special significance to him. It was the last one they'd received before the system was hijacked. It was simple really, just a name and a face. Karen Weiss. She was the next one VEDA had chosen. It was simple enough to slip into the building in the late Sunday sun…and Karen had already broken in for him. He made his way to the elevator and ascended.

Unlike the other names that VEDA had given, Karen's purpose hadn't been specified. It had irked Tieria at first, then it had driven him to look through her past (which surprisingly yielded nothing), then he'd decided that he wasn't supposed to know yet. Possibly, he would never know. He'd decided to search for her now as they'd finally received a lead on her whereabouts. He'd managed to trace a prescription that she had and he'd used satellite imagery to follow her to the rooftop that he hoped she was still passed out on.

Celesital Being was being pulled back together again. Times were beginning to call for it…it seemed that the united world couldn't manage to stay peaceful on its own. The rising of the A-Laws was something disturbing to say the least, and he couldn't help but feel unnerved by the fact that they'd have to intervene without VEDA again.

The elevator reached the thirty-fifth floor and Tieria turned the corner to see the short staircase that he imagined lead to the roof in case of emergency. The building was equipped with a helicopter landing pad and as such the staircase was in the open so arriving guests could immediately see the grandeur of the penthouse floor. The door at the top of the staircase opened easily when he pushed against it. Clearly she hadn't expected anyone to come up after her, or perhaps she didn't care if they did.

His initial scan of the rooftop didn't yield any sign of her immediately so he turned the corner of the rooftop exit.

There she was.

Her head was cradled against the low lip of the roof, her unruly auburn hair having fallen over her face in the afternoon breeze. Her legs were pulled halfway up to her chest and one of her arms draped carelessly over the edge of the thirty-five storey building, as though she was at home in a bed.

At first glance she seemed to be peacefully sleeping, but the empty yellow bottle next to her head painted a very different possibility. Tieria quickly knelt beside her and felt for a pulse, then noted how strained her breaths were. A thin layer of sweat covered her entire body and her lips were a strange shade of purple. Suddenly the roof made sense…she'd come here to die.

"_This _woman?" he said to no one in particular before pressing a button on his earpiece. He slid her wallet from her pocket easily and flipped through to find her ID.

'_Tieria?' _Feldt's voice rang through the little speaker.

"I'll need the helicopter pickup that was discussed as soon as possible. Bring the doctor."

'_Understood.'_

He looked down at the female and sighed. "So you are Reverie Traum. I find this incredibly hard to believe."

* * *

Pain.

Jolting, burning pain.

Was she dying?

No.

There were hands on her stomach, hands on her face, a tube forcing its way down her throat. Voices.

"_We've got to get rid of those pills! Start as soon as possible!"_

She could feel some kind of sludge filling her mouth, the castoff of what was going into her stomach. It made her chest feel like a full-grown man was sitting on it, like she was being crushed.

Her eyes slid open a tiny bit to see what was going on. Bright, painful light filled them and they closed again within seconds. It had been just long enough to send her head swirling in nausea. She wanted to roll to her side and throw up but her body refused to move. Her limbs were made of lead and her head pounded with the beat of her heart.

Alive. Alive. Alive.

It taunted her.

Scorching acid burned its way back up her throat and she felt her lungs revolt as some of the burning sludge hit them.

"_She's choking! Get her on her side!"_

Firm hands rolled her over and she felt her stomach start vicious contractions one after the other, the accursed black sludge sliding over her lips.

Alive. Alive. Alive.

It was like she was spewing the words from her mouth with every retch. She heaved over and over and over again. This time her eyes snapped open to see the black tar-like substance that had splashed across the ground. They were pumping her stomach.

Wait.

Who were _they_?

Another retch at the idea that she had no clue where she was. No idea who had ripped her out of the first good sleep she'd had in weeks. This time she heaved so hard she saw colors and little black dots.

There was nothing left to spew and she was held there for a few more moments before her mystery team came to the same realization. A cloth wiped her face gently but quickly, then another tube was introduced, this time into her nose. She could vaguely feel the absent flicking of an attendant searching for a vein in her hand.

_-She has delicate hands…if her veins weren't so dark from the overdose I'd never have a hope of avoiding damage.-_

_-There's so much….it smells horrible…and it's so black…-_

_-Why would someone do this to themselves?-_

The thoughts were back. Again. Had she really expected them to leave? Was it pointless for her to have been hopeful?

"_Put her under and get the fluids going. There isn't much more we can do at this point without knowing what these pills were prescribed for. I don't want to do any more damage by adding new medications."_

_-And to take that many pills, she must really want to sleep.-_

Finally, a thought that she wanted to hear. Yes. Sedatives. Sleep. Dream.

Alive. Alive. Alive.

She was alive. When she woke up next she'd figure out what that would entail.

Right now she needed to drift off into blissful, undisturbed sleep.


	2. Reverie Traum

AN: Yay! So I've decided to keep going with this seeing as I didn't really have any projects on the go that I was enjoying, and I've been thinking about this storyline a lot. I do have a pairing idea in mind, but we'll see how the plotline goes first. On that note I should say that the plotline is going to follow more of the behind-the-scenes times onboard the Ptolemaios as I feel that some characters were underdeveloped to keep the plotline going at warp speed. There won't be a lot of Mecha-fighting in this story per se, don't hold me to it though. It will follow the series with additional happenings, but I don't want to rewrite battles you've all seen already. By staying in the background this story can hopefully help flesh out my interpretations of the characters as people rather than plot devices.

I didn't listen to anything in particular to write this chapter. Also, the codename chosen doesn't exactly translate as written here, but it was as close as I could get when mixing Canadian French and High German without adding a bunch of useless words.

Let me know what you think!

Naishu

* * *

**Reverie Traum**

_"This heart, broken apart, is dreaming of a new start."_

_Chrystanthium - Rockefeller Rage_

"So she's really the one that VEDA chose, isn't she?" the on-duty doctor asked, flipping through her file.

"So it would seem." Tieria replied. "Was any new information found regarding her?"

The short-haired man nodded. "When we ran through her physical assessment we found this." He said, parting the girl's hair just above her left ear to reveal an inch-long jagged scar. "and in addition to that we found extremely high levels of GN Poisoning consistent with the original Pseudo GN Drives that were unrolled four years ago. Through this assessment I was able to run through military health records and found one that fit."

"But there were no records left of her. Anywhere." Tieria said assuredly. He'd looked himself.

"It seems someone got sloppy. This little lady was an assistant tactical forecaster aboard one of the vessels taken down at the joint military exercise nearly four and a half years ago."

"For which faction?"

"The records are from the AEU. She also seems to have a working history in mechanical engineering, although she traded fields after the first three years of her training program."

Tieria nodded. It still didn't give any real explanation for why she would have been chosen by VEDA. They had mechanics and they had a tactical forecaster…a good one, he grudgingly admitted. Why did they need this twenty-five year-old woman?

"There's something else." The doctor said, drawing Tieria's focus away. "I'm not sure how much support I give to this assessment, but according to the AEU medical facility that she recovered in she can hear thoughts."

This made Tieria raise a skeptical eyebrow. "Is that possible in your professional opinion?" he asked.

The doctor sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, we don't really know the full effects that the pseudo GN particles had on the human body, let alone the mind. The scar is from a piece of shrapnel that embedded itself in her brain, I'm assuming from a GN beam saber that tore through her ship. To have pseudo GN particles introduced directly into the brain could give completely unpredictable effects."

"Is she sane?" Tieria asked.

"We won't be able to tell that until she wakes up. The rest of her medical checked out though, so at least the major damage has been identified."

"I see." The purple-haired meister replied. "Let me know when she wakes, I'd like to get her accustomed to Celestial Being before the others arrive. Also, forward the file you found to me."

The doctor nodded. "Understandable. I'll move her into a recovery unit for the time being."

* * *

The ability to hear thoughts.

Tieria found it hard to believe the file in front of him, but it was documented in exacting detail. Apparently it was possible, and apparently the AEU had done everything in their power to antagonize the side effects of her injury. The file detailed trials where she was attached in a circuit with a pseudo GN drive, where she was pumped full of adrenaline and given mental-focus tasks revolving around prisoner's thoughts, and the last entry in the file detailed a surgery that was supposed to have taken place three years ago – to put a second piece of the same metal in her brain. Apparently she disappeared before that though, leaving the AEU behind without a trace and sending them into a frenzy to find her.

What stood out to him the most was the effect that she could have on pseudo GN drives. In most of the tests which involved one of the pseudo GN drives she'd inadvertently reduced their efficiency by up to forty percent. _This_, he decided, was the reason that VEDA had chosen her. If she could have that kind of efficiency with an incomplete drive, what would happen if she were to come in contact with one of the drives aboard the Ptolemaios II?

_She's human, Tieria. Don't forget that._

Lockon. He was always in the back of Tieria's mind, almost as though he'd become his conscience. "But this ability could be irreplaceable. What if she could cut down entire units by even twenty percent?" he said aloud.

_That won't mean anything if you turn her back into a test subject in the process._

The purple-haired meister sighed. He could almost see the knowing smile that would accompany the warning, complete with dancing blue-green eyes. He put the thought away for now but he knew he would revisit it later. Besides, he didn't have time to continue thinking about Celestial Being's newest member. Shortly he'd be leaving to help with the liberation of Katharon's members from Space Colony Proud. Hopefully he'd be reuniting with Setsuna as well. The idea excited him. Ever since it had been decided that Celestial Being would begin operating again he'd felt a sense of eager anticipation, something that had previously been foreign to him. He wanted to see everyone back together.

Well.

Everyone that _could_ return.

The thought sent a pang of bitter sadness through him but he pushed it down and made his way to Seravee. He didn't have time to revisit the grief that had consumed him years ago.

* * *

_Five days later_

She sat up suddenly, gripping her head and cursing as her forehead collided with the PlexiGlass of the tube-like recovery unit. She lay back down and took a few deep breaths as a dull headache started to throb lightly from the offended area.

"That's some kind of hello…" she mumbled as she felt along the side of the tube for the release button that she knew was there. Her head may have been pounding but she felt a million times better. She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, but it had definitely been long enough to bring her back to a normal state of mind. She turned her hands over to examine the veins in them and sighed in relief when they weren't the telltale black of an overdose.

The fact that she'd had more than one was a depressing thought that she pushed to the back of her mind. When she was rested she was a completely different person from the depressed, anxious, and fragmenting shell that would find comfort in a bottle of pills. Unfortunately it didn't take much to bring her to that point of exhaustion. She closed her eyes and listened to what she assumed to be the ship she was on. She could hear the hum of the crew on the bridge, the technical-jargon chatter of the mechanics, and she picked up a few people dreaming here and there, most likely resting after their shift. She pushed their sounds out of her mind, a luxury that being well-rested could afford her to a certain extent.

She looked around the room and realized that her clothing had been washed, folded, and was sitting neatly on the shelf next to the unit she'd been sleeping in. Her half-gloves hovered over her clothing, a signal that she was in an environment with pseudo-gravity. Space. She'd fallen asleep in Nuremburg…how long had she been passed out? She changed and folded the medical gown she'd been wearing. Might as well be nice, right? Obviously she wasn't under any kind of guard, she wasn't hooked up to a dozen machines, and she had no idea if the people on board even knew about her abilities. She needed to be sure though…

The clipboard at the end of her recovery unit was quickly snatched up and her eyes scanned the notes that had been taken.

They did know.

She felt a jolt of panic run through her, then she squelched the feeling. They knew, but they hadn't done anything about it.

_-About time she was checked on…she should wake up any time now…-_

_Crap! _She thought, realizing that the thoughts belonged to someone who was steadily approaching the room. She looked around but knew that finding a weapon was hopeless. _Back to the wall, let's hope for the best._ It was always strange to her when she could clearly hear her thoughts. The door handle turned and a white coated man entered.

"You're awake!" he said, smiling. "I thought you'd never wake up." _–I'll bet you didn't think you would either.-_

"You're right." She said, responding to his thought more than his words. "That was the plan, anyways."

"The plan?" he stared at her curiously for a moment, then smiled. "Right. I'd forgotten." _–You can hear me.-_

She nodded. He took a step forward but she raised a hand. "Stay there."

_-What?-_

"I'm grateful that you saved me, but I'm sure you can understand that I don't know what's going on here. Until I do I'm sorry to say I won't be very trusting."

The man nodded and smiled. "I understand." He dug in his pocket and pulled out a white information drive. "Take this, it has everything you need to know." He tossed it to her and let it glide in the semi-weightless room. _–A lot more than I'd share initially, but I guess that wasn't my decision.-_

She caught the drive and examined it quickly before looking up at the man again. "Before you leave, what organization is this?"

He just nodded and looked at the drive. "All in there, as I said."

_-Celestial Being.-_

He stepped out of the room and left her alone with his last thought. The little white drive seemed suddenly much heavier than it should have in her hand.

"Celestial….Being?"

She stood in silence for a moment, then chuckled, then laughed. Celestial Being. It was completely absurd.

Right?

She'd managed to escape the lab three years ago and dodge the former AEU's repeated attempts to catch her only to end up in the hands of the organization that had been the reason for all of her problems. Her laughter became completely uncontrollable as she opened the file and realized that she really _was_ in the possession of Celestial Being.

Funny, funny world.

She calmed down and sighed, then started to read through the file. She wanted to know exactly what she'd gotten mixed up in before she left the room and started asking questions. One thing was certain though, unlike her own allies, Celestial Being so far had a better track record of treating her like a normal human being…and she'd only been awake for ten minutes.

* * *

After being moved to what seemed like a padded cell, Karen had been reading through the contents of the data drive. She couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that ran through her. Celestial Being wasn't the reason for her disability, a rogue set of Gundams, the Thrones, were.

The unsettling feeling wasn't a result of losing the basis for revenge as most would think. Despite the undeniable link between Gundams and her injury, she'd never harbored any personal resentment for Celestial Being. Revenge wasn't something that she'd ever seen a point in, and as such she'd never placed blame on the organization. The truth was that aside from the almost-surgery courtesy of the AEU, she didn't have a bad past. The experiments run by the military had been run with her consent. Her family life was normal, bland. She had no great dilemma. The unsettling feeling came from how easily she accepted her situation. Could she really become a member of this organization? The one the world blamed for terrorism, murder, and reform? Did it really matter if the world blamed them?

No.

It didn't. It didn't matter what the world thought because the world didn't _think_. She of all people would know. After listening to the thoughts of people's daily lives, the droning of useless wants and needs and misinterpretations, she couldn't accept their assessment of anything political. She had to make her own decision. Even if she decided to leave, where would she go? There was no place for her to call home…the only things waiting for her were exhaustion, depression, and a family that believed she was a junkie because she couldn't tell them the truth. That was no way to live. She couldn't help anyone that way…she couldn't help herself that way. She would stay with this organization as long as she believed that it could make a difference, and she would help in any way she could.

_-I hope it hasn't gone cold, I should have dropped this off before going to the hangar…-_

Karen's thoughts were interrupted as a pink-haired girl opened the door, balancing a tray on her other hand, a bag hanging from her arm. The girl looked at her with passive curiosity as she slid the tray into the groove made for it in the wall of the padded room.

"I'm sorry I didn't bring this by sooner, you must be hungry." She said, looking down. There was something sad about this girl, Karen wanted to know what.

"That's alright, I wasn't hungry before now anyways." Karen set the data drive down and watched the girl stand awkwardly.

_-I don't know what to say…I don't know how much she knows already…Tieria will be mad if I say more than I should…-_

"Who is Tieria?" She asked, standing and picking up the bottle of juice from the tray. She guessed it was magnetized in the light-gravity atmosphere.

The girl bit her lip and looked at the brunette curiously when she realized that her thoughts had been heard. "He's one of the Pilots here." She said.

"What happens when he gets mad?"

_-Not very much, he just has that brooding expression.- _

The pink-haired girl bit her lip again and stared at the brunette anxiously.

"Let's try this again." Karen said. "What's your name?"

"Feldt."

"Hello Feldt. I'm Karen. Why don't you sit down. I don't bite, I'm just a little weird."

The girl released her lip from between her teeth and managed a smile. "I'm sorry, I just don't really know how much you know." She said. "I'm sure you can understand how secretive we have to be here."

Karen nodded. "I understand. Maybe I should share first then. I've almost made up my mind to stay here with Celestial Being."

"Really?" Feldt asked, surprised by how quickly the decision had been made. "Why?"

_-She's only been awake for an hour and a half…how can she know so quickly?"-_

"Because I've spent months, _years_, listening to everyone around me obliviously make judgements about what is right and what is wrong…about who really has everyone's best interests in mind. I've listened to them support the A-Laws and cast judgement on cities which are rotting away because they don't want to bend to the will of a corrupt government. I've listened to them not care when others' lives are ripped apart to support the federation's standard of living. I can't think of any other group that is as dedicated to the alignment of the world as Celestial Being is. I want to be a part of something so dedicated. You've all given your lives to this organization and I want to do whatever I can to help you." The girl flinched as she heard the last reason and Karen studied her intently, surprised by the reaction.

_-Lockon-_

A face. Warm green-blue eyes, pale skin, unruly chestnut hair. This girl felt strongly for this man, that was why the image floated in Karen's mind. The sadness attached to the handsome face told a story, one of regret and bitterness. "Are you alright?" Karen asked the girl.

She nodded stiffly. _–Lockon…he gave his life, but it wasn't for Celestial Being.-_

"Who was Lockon?" Karen asked, biting her tongue when she heard the interrogative tone in her voice. Over the years of dealing with her abilities she'd become painfully blunt and it wasn't necessary now. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer." She said, offering an apologetic smile.

Feldt nodded. "I'll tell you about him sometime, but for now I think it's best that stone lay unturned."

_-In truth, I don't think I can talk about him without crying, still.-_

Karen nodded. "Well, until then I won't bring it up again."

"I have to be getting back to the bridge…I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer."

"It's alright, I'm sorry that I crossed a line." She did so frequently.

Feldt stood to leave, then stopped, opening the bag she'd brought and pulling something out of it. "Here, you should take this. It's your new uniform."

Karen accepted the brightly colored uniform. From what she could immediately see the shirt was charcoal gray, the jacket that sat folded under it was an electric light blue. "Thank-you." She smiled.

"I'm sorry the shirt and jacket don't match…I couldn't find a matching set for your measurements."

"That's alright" Karen said. Her German heritage had gifted her with a tall frame and strong bones, things that made fitting usually petit women's clothing difficult. At five foot seven she wasn't surprised.

"And this is from Tieria." Feldt handed her a sealed envelope with her name written in the most beautiful cursive she'd ever seen. "I'll leave you alone to open it."

_-I think you'll fit right in here.- _The girl's thought made Karen smile. She hoped so.

Feldt slipped out of the room quietly and Karen was left with the small envelope. She pulled the unsealed flap open and withdrew the single piece of manila paper that was inside.

_Codename: Reverie Traum_

_Welcome to Celestial Being._

_Reverie Traum_. Karen tilted her head. Whomever had chosen the name seemed to know much more about her than she immediately assumed. She wondered if the German term "Traum" was coincidental or of they were aware that her native tongue wasn't English.

"To dream of dreaming." She said aloud. It was very fitting. Much moreso than her own name was. It was more than that though, it was a promise of a fresh start, of a new chapter of life.

Maybe this one could mean something.

She shed the clothing that she'd put on two hours earlier and slipped her new uniform on. Pants. Shirt. Jacket. Boots. She easily wove her hair into a loose braid to keep it out of her way. She folded her old clothing and set it on the ground in the padded room, then sat back against the wall. She absentmindedly ran her finger along the edge of the meal tray the girl had brought as she stared at the pile of fabric. That was the old her, the one who didn't have a hope of changing the world around her. The one that had become nothing but a freak in the eyes of her comrades, the one who could listen to her mother think that she was a drug addict. The one that couldn't explain the truth because no one would believe it.

She looked down at herself in the brand-new uniform. This was the new her, the useful her.

This was Reverie Traum.


	3. Gundam Song

AN: Me again! Not much to say about this installment other than we're finally getting to meet some characters. I've been avidly re-watching both series and making character sketches of the Meisters (specifically in S2) as some of them really only get background development (like how Allelujah disappears from the storyline almost totally after the first half of each season...or how Lyle gets attention only when he's about to get smashed in the face with the angst board...poor Lyle.). Either way, it's interesting to actually examine them.

On another note I'm realizing how tricky it can be to incorporate people's thoughts into dialogue. The image that I have of Karen/Reverie's thought-hearing is that she's constantly hearing at least the hum of those around her, but she focuses on the thoughts that people feel most strongly about. For that reason I'll be including less thoughts than she's actually hearing (and let's be honest, written dialogue can be hard enough to follow without adding thoughts in there).

Thank-you to StormyMonday for being my first review! I have to say I'm not so surprised that I'm not receiving reviews...there are quite a few stories which have none, so I'm going to take what I can get for now and be happy that a bunch of people continued reading through the second chapter.

I didn't listen to anything specific to write this chapter, let me know what you think!

Naishu.

* * *

**Gundam Song**

_"...and I heard the voice of many angels roundabout the throne..."_

_Excerpt: Revelation 5:11_

After a long talk with the on-duty medic Reverie was finally released and allowed to travel the ship. The checkup had gone into vivid detail about her medical history before and after her encounter with the Pseudo-GN Drives, and had focused especially on one aspect: sleep. She wasn't able to fall asleep on her own anymore and would have to be sedated nightly until a solution was found. Of course this posed the problem that she would be unconscious with no chance of being woken for a total of eight hours each night, but she was told it was a temporary solution until "something else" could be arranged. What that was? Neither of them was sure. The one thing that _was_ sure though was that she couldn't be left alone with her insomnia or she'd end up crazy and desperate again. When she was tired she couldn't force the voices out of her head, and the more tired she was the louder they got. That wasn't good for anyone.

She moved aimlessly through the halls of the ship, not really sure what she was looking for other than familiarity with her surroundings. She was still amazed and a little bit shocked at how easily she'd accepted her change of fate. Days ago she'd been destitute, crazy, almost homeless, and she never thought she'd get her rational brain back. Now she was rested, secure, and although she wasn't quite sure how she could help on-board the ship she was determined to help in some way. Life was funny, wasn't it?

She stopped walking as she heard the faintest hints of what sounded like…

"Music." She said. It seemed absurd, but as she stood and listened, looking up and down the hall, it grew louder. The sound was beautiful and clean but it followed no set melody…it had no rhythm. She turned in the direction that she'd been walking and started down the hall again, this time much faster. She wanted to find out what was making the sound.

She passed door after door, stopping only once she stepped into what seemed to be an observation room in one of the ship's hangars. Long floor-to-ceiling windows created the far wall and she crossed the room quickly, leaving the door open. The sound was surrounding her entirely now, flitting into her ears and almost massaging her mind.

She never would have expected its source.

Beyond the glass stood a gigantic humanoid machine, easily standing 18m tall at least. It was blue and red and white, and her eyes widened as she recognized the familiar shape of not one but _two_ GN Drives, both emitting vibrant green GN Particles.

"Gundam…"

She said to no one. Of course she knew that she would see Gundams if she worked with Celestial Being but she'd never anticipated the sense of awe that filled her. The output of the drives increased and the music grew louder as she listened, making her place her hands on the glass in front of her and close her eyes to revel in the sound.

Then it ended.

But why?

She let go of the barriers that she'd put up in her mind and listened for the thoughts of someone-_anyone-_who knew what had happened.

_-Dammit! We were so close…-_

_-Just shy of eighty percent…what options do we have?-_

_-Even with Exia's GN Drive…-_

She opened her eyes and realized that the drive had shut down, confirming her suspicions; the Gundam had created the song that she'd heard. More specifically, the GN Drives had.

She'd never heard anything like that before. The Pseudo-GN Drives that the AEU had been working with emitted a droning noise that only she could hear, but it was nothing like the pure, unaltered sound that she'd heard moments before. Was there really that great of a difference between the drives?

_-What? An enemy force?-_

_-How did they find us…they have our exact location! Dammit! But 'Double Oh' isn't ready! We only have Seravee…-_

An enemy force?

Reverie looked down to see the mechanics that had been testing the drive bolt in opposite directions, all headed for what she assumed to be battle stations. The cockpit of what she assumed to be the '00' Gundam opened and she watched as a purple-suited pilot left and also bolted.

She wasn't really sure where she was supposed to be during battle situations…she hadn't been on the ship long enough to know their operating procedure, and after scanning for thoughts not a single person seemed to be offering up the answer at the moment.

She wanted to see what was happening and she left the observation room immediately, weaving through the halls and trying to find the room she'd stumbled upon earlier that looked out into space. Of course, there was no guarantee that she'd be able to see anything, but it was better than sitting around bored…especially as she hadn't been given a job yet. Until she had an accurate assessment of the ship's capabilities and those of the mobile suits she wouldn't be able to make anything close to a decent tactical forecast, so that was out of the picture. Outside of that her battle usefulness was questionable at best.

She found the room she'd been looking for and stopped at the expansive window. She was right, she couldn't see anything except the vast blackness that was space. She could however barely hear the familiar droning of Pseudo GN Drives. Five of them.

_-We need to get Seravee out there! What the hell is he waiting for?-_

_-One against five? I hope Tieria doesn't get hurt…-_

The second voice was young and female and full of worry. A crush? Most likely. She tried to find the thoughts of the pilot but came up blank. Of course, she wasn't sure what voice to look for and she wasn't familiar with the launch procedure of a Gundam so she could only guess at what he would be thinking. Regardless, she managed to pick up enough information from those on the bridge. Apparently a shuttle with three of Celestial Being's more prominent members was approaching the ship and it was likely they would be caught up in the battle, if they weren't already. A pilot named Setsuna, their forecaster Sumeragi, and someone whom she couldn't find a name for. The ship turned a few degrees as it prepared to follow the tactical plan they'd just received and Reverie was able to finally see the small outline of the shuttle as well as the castoff from the orange GN Drives. A second later she heard a variant of the beautiful song that the 00 Gundam had made and she saw a flash of green.

_-Seravee has launched and is initiating plan.-_

They were far enough away that trying to watch what was going on was difficult, all she could follow were trails of green and orange where the machines had been. The shuttle was drawing steadily closer and was doing a surprising job of out-maneuvering the blasts from the enemy team. She tried to hear the thoughts of those inside but the distance was still too great. Her curse unfortunately had limits.

Two orange streaks were headed for the ship! The droning sound rose in her ears as they approached and she grasped her head, her fingers involuntarily weaving into her hair and she stumbled back. It was sending shooting pain through her ears, across her scalp, and down her spine! She couldn't pinpoint either of them exactly until she opened her eyes carefully, groaning against the pain.

There on the other side of the glass was a rust-red mobile suit, orange particles spreading out on either side like an ominous fiery halo. The droning of its drive was so loud that she thought her mind would explode if it continued. It dodged a set of shots that were set off by the small shuttle and raised its rifle. It was so close that Reverie could see straight down the gigantic barrel…and she could see the particles charging as she heard the pilot's thoughts. Her eyes snapped shut as she tried to block out the monotonous droning.

_-You'd better be scared, gorgeous.-_

She was. She was terrified. She didn't want this new life taken from her before she'd had a chance to live it. That idea made her livid. Anger flashed through her body in that split second and she snarled through her teeth against the pain the noise caused. She heard the high whine of the rifle's charge through the glass. She had been so close to living with a purpose. Her eyes snapped shut as she realized that she was about to be obliterated.

The shot never came.

_-What the hell? My rifle, it lost power! That's impossible!-_

She opened her eyes slowly and looked curiously at the suit that hung idly in the air.

_-My suit is dying! What the hell!?-_

One very long second later the suit lowered its useless rifle and shot away from the ship.

"Did….did I do that?" She asked the air, her hands sliding out of her hair as she stared wide-eyed at where the enemy machine had been. Had she somehow shut it down?

Only after the droning noise had died away did she realize that she could hear the song of the 00 again. This time it was accompanied by a stunning river of vibrant green. It was like watching the Aurora Borealis, but so close you could almost touch it. The 00 must have killed the suit.

A few beautiful seconds later the enemy mobile suits retreated and all that was left in Reverie's mind was the song of the Gundam once again, strong and ethereal and promising.

That, and what had happened to the rust-red suit.

She saw the small shuttle shoot past the window in front of her and she left the room and made her way to where it was docking. She could finally hear the thoughts of those who were aboard it…although there were only two of them now, the woman Sumeragi and the one she couldn't name. She turned the corner and saw light coming through an open door followed by an assault of thoughts. This was where everyone was gathered.

-_Setsuna really did it…I don't know how he brought her back.-_

"Welcome back miss Sumeragi!" Feldt said. She was there along with a smaller brown-haired girl, a tall and muscular dark haired man, and an older man with glasses. Her disbelief at the woman being brought back was mirrored in the opinions of the other three, it seemed. A young man in a blue flight suit stood motionless, watching the scene disinterestedly. As she locked eyes with him an image of the blue and white Gundam flashed in her mind. He was apparently very attached to it.

"Long-time no see, !" the yellow-clad girl said next.

"Same reckless tactics as always."

So this was the tactical forecaster…someone Reverie was very interested in speaking with. She was shorter than Reverie had expected and bright reddish-brown hair fell loosely around her face. Her thoughts were filled with regret and the shame of dousing them with alcohol. Reverie shivered and pushed the stream of thoughts from her mind. She took a place behind the others out of respect, yet off to the side so she could still see what was happening.

"I'm not quite sure about…" The red-headed woman was interrupted as a figure stepped forward and a unified gasp was heard from the small gathered crowd. Had Reverie not been so interested in the dynamics of the group she might have noticed that she'd sucked in a breath as well.

Simply put, he was gorgeous.

"Lockon…?" the dark-haired young man said in disbelief. He was echoed seconds later by an orange robot.

"Lockon, you're alive! Lockon, you're alive!"

Lockon…was this the man that Feldt had inadvertently shown her? He certainly looked like the image she'd seen; unruly hair in various shades of brown, the same…the _exact same_ handsome face, and dancing blue green eyes. These eyes were different though. She stared at them as he looked at the gathered crowd…she wanted to hear what he was thinking.

"Well, that's one hell of a welcome." He said. _–And so it begins…-_

And so what begins? His thought had a snarky edge that his voice didn't carry.

"What's the deal?" The dark-haired man, whom she now knew as Lasse, said. _–He was dead…Setsuna saw him die with his own eyes…-_

_-Was he really alive somewhere all these years? Why didn't he come back to us? Why didn't he let us know he was alright?- _Feldt's thoughts came in frantic waves, almost crashing against Reverie's consciousness. She was extremely upset.

The tactical advisor sighed. "This is his younger brother."

_-Always the younger one…younger by seconds. I wonder how long it will take before I can get out of here…this is awkward.-_ The man thought. He looked around the crowd slowly. There was an accent in his thoughts that wasn't present in his voice. She wasn't sure what it was.

"Lockon…Stratos…" Feldt said, wide-eyed. _–Younger brother. Not Neil. This means that Neil really is…for a moment I thought that he was…Dammit!- _Feldt thought before tearing out of the room. The others looked at her then back at the man. So this was the younger twin brother of the man that Feldt cared about. That was harsh.

Reverie tore out of the room after the girl. She saw her turn to see who had come after her and she stopped, her eyes obviously holding back tears. "Are you alright?" Reverie called, feeling like the girl could bolt if she took a step closer.

_-Just let me go.-_

Reverie nodded. "If you say so." The girl nodded and resumed her run through the halls.

Reverie turned back to the room and slipped in again, this time leaning against the wall next to the door to make room as the others exited. They left one at a time, each seeming to know where to go with the exception of the tall new addition to the crew. The mood among the crowd had changed when Feldt had left and Reverie couldn't shake the feeling that the man's older brother had been someone of extreme importance to many on the ship.

"Why are you here?"

The young man in the blue pilot suit stood in front of her, his gaze unwavering. It caught her off guard, she'd been lost in her thoughts. "I'm not sure yet." She said, trying to pick his brain as he stood there. All she received were pictures though...pictures with very strong feelings attached to them. A yellow flower, a rifle, the gundam. It didn't make any sense. "Who are you?" she asked him. He seemed to have accepted her answer.

"Setsuna F. Seiei." He replied stoically. His presence was unnerving and funny at the same time, she didn't know why. He stepped past her, not bothering to formally end the conversation. She wasn't sure if it was because he didn't care or didn't know how to, but she guessed that he didn't know either. She watched him leave and tilted her head. She'd never met anyone who only thought in pictures before.

The last person left in the room was the man with the unruly brown hair. She watched as he uncomfortably watched everyone leave, then as he met her eyes skeptically.

–_Ten minutes into this whole thing and the crew already looks at me like a disappointment. What did you do to these people Neil?-_

"It's not your fault that they look at you like that." She replied.

His eyebrow rose at that and his eyes flashed a curious and guarded glare that Reverie had become accustomed to over the last few years. "Look at me like what?" he asked inquisitively, his eyes flickering with calculated interest. It was the first time that she'd paid attention to his voice. It, like him, was attractive.

"Like a disappointment."

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to. It makes sense, doesn't it?" she asked. Occasionally she liked to toy with people, not letting them know if she really could hear them think or not. "You look identical to someone whom they all respected and loved, and whom they thought had died years ago. Is it wrong for them to feel disappointed that their wish didn't come true, that he wasn't alive?"

"I don't think you're in a place where you're allowed to comment." He said with a little more bite than she expected. _–I am not my brother. Don't look at me like I am.- _It wasn't a thought as much as it was a feeling that enveloped her. It was in the way he stood, the snarky tone of his thoughts, and behind the guarded glare she was still receiving.

"That's easy. I never knew your brother." She said. "All I know is you."

This drew a chuckle from him, then a full-out laugh. She watched as his face lit up with the joyful expression, then died down as he became serious again. "You know who I am, but you know nothing about me." He replied matter-of-factly as he passed her on his way out the door.

"Who are you?" She asked. "I don't think I ever actually found out."

The question made him stop on his way out the door. _–Lyle Dylandy.-_

"Lockon Stratos." Came his constructed reply. He looked like he was going to continue on his way but he stopped and sighed. _–Stop. You don't need to be an ass.-_ he thought. She could almost feel him kicking himself. "Who are you?" he asked, his eyes dropping the skeptical glare and his voice taking on a conversational tone.

"Ka-" she stopped herself. "Reverie Traum." She'd have to get used to using the code name. In truth, she liked it better than her given one.

"Codename?" he asked, almost seeming friendly. She nodded. "Mine too." He replied.

She grinned at that. "Really? But Lockon Stratos is such a common name…" she quipped sarcastically. She could feel her inner flirt showing…something she hadn't felt in a while. She'd always been a flirty person, but she hadn't been _herself_ in months. Even if she'd been well-rested she was always on her guard…not a situation which made flirting desirable.

"Hey now, no need to get snippy." He said. _–Cute and sarcastic. This place might not be horrible afterall.-_

"Just cute?" she questioned.

It was his turn to grin. "So you _can_ hear me, then."

She felt her cheeks heat up as she realized that she'd unwittingly walked into his little test. "Yes, I can." His expression showed that he was quite pleased with himself and she couldn't blame him. "And on that note, I like your real name better." She replied.

"So you heard that too then, eh?" he said, running a hand through his hair.

She felt a pang of jealousy over how easily it fell back into place afterwards. Part of her wondered what shampoo he used. That would wait for another time though. "Lyle Dylandy. I like it. Would you be offended if I said it was a pretty name?"

"Not at all, as long as it's you saying it."

She was caught off-guard by his forwardness. His eyes shone with mischief and she felt her cheeks flush again. She watched as he unzipped the top of his flight suit and she realized he must be sweating to death in it. "It looks like you need to get out of that…and I still need to figure out what my job exactly _is _here. Until next time?"

He nodded, sending his bangs lightly across his eyes. "You could help me get out of it." He quipped shamelessly. Apparently she wasn't the only flirt on board.

"Thanks, but I'll save the self-destructive choices for another day."

"Too bad." He said. "Well then, until another day."

"Another day." She replied.

They left the room and turned their separate ways. _–Where exactly was my room again? I know Sumeragi told me…-_

He wasn't the only one who wasn't sure where he was going and Reverie found herself looking for the bridge. She wanted to find out if there was anything that she could do while aboard the ship. She wanted to help, but she wasn't entirely sure how. She knew that there must have been something she was capable of doing.

The ship turned out to be easier to navigate than she'd originally assumed. There were arrows pointing this way and that, letting her know which way to go. Apparently there was no need to be secretive while on-board the ship and as such she found the bridge with relative ease.

It was fairly empty. The young girl with the brown pigtails and yellow uniform sat in front of a screen to the left while the controls of the ship were being manned by Lasse. A beautiful purple-haired girl stood in front of a screen on the right, a set of glasses sitting halfway down her nose.

"Hello" Reverie said. It was an awkward word and she stood equally as awkwardly in the entrance of the bridge.

"Hi there!" The young pigtailed girl replied cheerily.

"What are you doing here?" A stern voice demanded. Reverie looked for the source of it but came up blank until she watched the purple haired woman speak again. "Reverie Traum, why are you on the bridge?"

She blushed. The purple-haired woman was in fact a man. A very _very_ pretty man. "Um…I'm wondering if there's anything for me to do." She said, then realized that the statement made her sound like a bored schoolgirl. "I'd like to be of use." She clarified.

"We haven't as yet determined your job aboard the ship. Return to your room, once we find a use for you we'll let you know." He said matter-of-factly, turning back to his screen.

Lasse sighed and turned around. "Don't be like that Tieria. She can man the weapons controls until we find a permanent job for her." _–Besides, it would be a shame to keep a cutie like that locked up.-_

"So you're Tieria, then?" Reverie asked, looking at the purple-haired man. His eyes were focused and displayed what looked like annoyance as he turned to her. There was something strange about him besides his unmistakeable beauty, but she couldn't place it. "You're the one who gave me my name."

"I'm Tieria Erde. Yes, I created your codename." He replied a little shortly. She wanted to know why he was so cold towards her, but she couldn't hear anything at all. Perhaps he really wasn't thinking? No. That didn't happen. Everyone was thinking, and his eyes were too annoyed to not have a single thought behind them.

"Can I man the weapons controls?" she asked, leering at him a little more intensely than was likely necessary. The silence where his thoughts should have been was disturbing.

"If you wish. Your permanent job will be determined once we have our full team back on board."

She nodded and he turned back to the screen that he was avidly watching. There was still nothing. Not even about the information he was reading. She was shocked. Against her better judgement she stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm. His head snapped towards her, eyes angry. "What do you think you're—"

"What are you thinking right now?" she asked. She was still hearing nothing. Touching him should have given her access to his thoughts immediately, but there was just the hum of Lasse and the girl's thoughts behind her.

"Excuse me?" He snapped his arm away from her, keeping the eye contact that she was demanding.

"I can't hear what you're thinking." She said. "I know you know about my abilities…why can't I hear your thoughts?" She was frustrated and she felt the calm buzz of adrenaline. Her body was reacting to her mental frustration.

He looked away and huffed. "I know less than you do about your abilities. Don't expect me to explain this phenomenon to you, I have no explanation. Now, either learn the weapons controls or return to your room, Reverie Traum."

She tilted her head curiously before stepping past him and towards Lasse. She wasn't finished with this new development…not by a long shot. As she passed him she wondered if his looks were a result of his princess nature or if it was the other way around. Regardless, she didn't appreciate his haughtiness.

"Don't mind him, he's a little sharp around the edges." Lasse said. "Here, take a seat." He motioned to the seat beside his that also looked out into space. _–So you're the one who can hear thoughts.-_

He watched her expectantly, almost like he was waiting for her to do a trick. She was used to it. "I am. Reverie." She held out her hand.

_-Lasse Aeon.-_ he thought, his eyes smiling as he thought. He seemed to like her gimmicky brain, and somehow she was okay with that.

"Well , are you going to teach me how to shoot?"

He laughed. "How to shoot, no. How to aim and fire the different weapons systems on the ship? Yes. You can learn to shoot in the range on your free time." _–Although as a former military member I'm surprised she doesn't know how…..-_

"Hey, I know how to shoot. I could just be….better at it." She replied a little hotly.

He laughed again and this time pulled the targeting console towards her. "Haha well then, the lady's got fire. I like it. Mileina, load up the scenarios for the control system. Let's get her started."

"Yes !" The girl happily replied.

And so began Reverie's first job on board the Ptolemaios II.


	4. Skin Deep

AN: It seems like in my infinite amount of boredom on my summer vacation I have literally nothing better to do than write and clean my house. The house is clean so I found myself writing another chapter again. I had quite a bit of fun with this chapter although it is on the long side again (much like the last one). I'm probably going to slow down my updates when school starts again as my workload will be a lot heavier this year (yay double major...). Thanks to those of you who have kept reading through to this chapter, and please let me know what you think! I have a lot of ideas for this story and I've finally decided on what Reverie's permanent job will be. I think I have my pairing made up in my head, but as with all things in my brain that could be thrown out the proverbial window at the last minute.

Thanks Stormy for letting my know what you think! For those of you who are checking this out, you should check out her profile and stories...I'm anxiously awaiting her new chapter in "Ordinary World".

Completely by coincidence I was listening to "Talking to myself" by Eminem for this chapter, although the song itself doesn't have much outside of the chorus that really involves talking to oneself. Kind of disappointing.

Excuse the language, blame it on everyone's favorite pottymouth.

Naishu

* * *

**Skin Deep**

_"It's not somebody who has seen the light, it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah."_

Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen

_Bang!_

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

_Bang! Bang!_

Reverie set down her energy pistol and hit the teal button to her left, sending the wobbly gel target shooting forward on its stand. After her fifth consecutive day training on the bridge she'd gone straight to the infirmary and been knocked out for the night. Eight hours later she'd woken completely rested and ready to do something productive. After breakfast and a shower, she decided that brushing the dust off her shooting abilities would be a good choice.

The target stopped in front of her and she steadied the cohesive gel figure. "Dammit."

Her firing pattern was all over the place. All six shots were accounted for but they had strayed from her intended target in some places by as much as three inches. For a civilian it would be remarkable. For someone who might be the difference between the Ptolemaios being destroyed or not…it was pathetic at best. She sighed and hit the reset button on the base of the gel target and watched as the holes filled themselves in and smoothed out as though they'd never been there. She sent the target back and pulled the power core from the pistol, setting it in its recharge block and clicking the pistol back into its protective cover to her right. She'd take a break and come back. Her arms were trembling, a sign that she wasn't going to get any better without giving them some rest.

She pulled her safety headgear off and dropped it in the bin for cleaning. She'd always found it interesting that people continued to use protective eyewear one-hundred years after energy-pulse weapons were approved for major military use. There was no threat to the eyes, but somehow it still made people feel safer to wear the tinted visors. Perhaps it was ceremony that made them continue. Regardless, it didn't bother her.

She exited the small on-board range and walked the twenty-odd feet to her room. It was convenient really and the proximity to the range would probably make it one of her more visited places. She entered the code for her door.

"Reverie Traum."

She almost jumped at the unexpected voice and sighed in frustration when she saw the one person she couldn't hear coming. "Tieria. Can I help you with something?" She looked at the purple-haired meister expectantly. Tieria hadn't gotten any nicer, but she didn't see the point in tiptoeing around him. Besides, she'd come to somewhat enjoy not being able to hear his thoughts…even if the idea did raise a lot of questions.

"As a previous tactical forecaster I need you to analyze the enclosed data." He said, holding out a data drive.

She took the white stick and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not capable of executing plans anymore."

"I'm aware. The interference of the GN drives and the thoughts of dying soldiers remove your attention from the necessary completion of tactical plans."

"Then why bring this to me?" She was suddenly annoyed by the silence that sat behind his gaze. He had a motive that she wasn't seeing and she wanted to know what it was.

"I don't need you to execute the plan, I simply need you to design it based on the data. Someone else will be given the task of commanding the operation."

"Anything else?" she asked. She had no intention of drafting the plan until she found out what he was up to.

"That's all." With that he turned and left, his footsteps barely making a sound.

She hoped hers would be as silent as she followed him.

She opened the door to her room and let it slide closed again, using the automated noise of the barrier to cover her as she slipped her boots off and turned the corner. She barely caught the purple uniform as he turned farther down the hall. She followed.

She'd trailed people and slipped away from people time after time in the last three years and although she'd become quite skilled at it she was at a disadvantage here. She couldn't hear him think. Regardless of whether he knew he was being followed or not he didn't give her any indication of the former. They weaved this way and that until they arrived at a residence room at the far side of the ship. She listened as he knocked and as the door opened.

"Sumeragi Lee Noriega."

He was speaking to the forecaster. _–Not again. I can't forecast again…I wish he'd just leave me be.-_

"Tieria. What do you want?" she said, not having the harsh tone that normally accompanied those words.

"I want you to forecast for the situation enclosed in this file." He replied. Reverie wondered if it was the same file that he'd given her.

"I can't do that Tieria. I'm not-!

"It's not for a specific mission. I gave the same file to the forecaster that was brought aboard the ship two weeks ago. I can't measure her abilities unless I can compare them to yours."

"So you'd like to replace me." Sumeragi said defensively. Her posture changed and she looked up at the stoic meister. _–it's for the better anyways.-_

"We don't have a choice if you're intent on not returning. If you're planning on coming back to Celestial Being by all means say so now. Otherwise, complete the forecast."

So that was it. He wanted to test her forecasting abilities. If she wasn't supposed to be back in her room resting she would have laughed. There was no way that she could replace the forecaster for Celestial Being. She'd re-watched the footage of their armed interventions numerous times…she had no hope of competing with the woman.

Wait.

Tieria would know this. He would know that she'd only been an assistant forecaster…he'd know that she hadn't completed her training and that she couldn't possibly outmaneuver the seasoned tactician.

So what did he really want?

She watched as the door closed and he left. She didn't bother to follow him this time, she'd gotten enough information to think about while she looked at the details of the file. She turned and padded her way down the long hall, retracing her steps until she found her door and her unattended boots.

"Do you always run around barefoot?"

The voice caught her as she bent to put the first boot on. She recognized its playfulness and confirmed her suspicions when she looked over her shoulder. Lyle. "I had socks on. That's not barefoot." She pointed out.

"True, but it's also not a pair of boots." He said, watching her pull her second boot on, or more accurately, watched her bend. She grinned as she realized that he wasn't babysitting his thoughts. At least he wasn't saying what was on his mind. "Are you just here to check me out or were you here for an actual reason?" she asked, standing and straightening her jacket.

_-That can't be a reason?-_ "I was heading to the briefing room. Apparently there's been some information found on one of the Meisters. I'm not really sure what's going on, but apparently we're needed there."

"We?"

"All hands on Ptolemy."

She looked at her door wistfully, then sighed. She really wanted to dive into the data that Tieria had given her…she was hoping to figure out what he wanted. "Well, I can't really argue then can I?"

* * *

As it turned out Reverie didn't have much time to review the data that she'd been given. After the meeting of the crew all hands had been assigned to battle stations. Reverie wasn't sure who exactly this 'Allelujah' was, but from the feelings and thoughts of those on board she could tell that he was important to them. Important or not, she was going to be stuck on the bridge for quite a while. They'd just started the clock on a 300-second Blitzkrieg attack and her adrenaline was running high.

Despite the situation, Tieria's motives were still on her mind and she had started to realize what he was up to. When the crew meeting had taken place the crew had almost cornered Sumeragi. The air had been tense, not dissimilar from the numerous interventions that her parents had held for her. They wanted Sumeragi to return to her position, but her guilt over the deaths of several people was binding her to the bottle that she refused to let go of. Neil, Christina, Lichty, Emilio. Those were the names that weighed holes in her conscience and they were the memories that were stopping her from returning.

Where did this leave Tieria's motives? He wanted Reverie's plan to be bait. He was expecting her to submit a sub-par tactical plan that would make Sumeragi realize that she was the only one who was fit for the job. It made sense really, but Reverie wasn't sure how she should respond. Should she submit a thorough plan, or should she give one that was intentionally bad?

Either way, she didn't have time to analyze further as Ptolemy started its nosedive into the atmosphere. She ran through the targeting system's procedure for the third time as the deep blue of the water loomed below them, growing closer and closer by the second. The ship's speed was incredible and as they reached the crashing surface of the sea she felt her heart shoot into her throat.

The impact of hitting the water sent them all into their consoles and against their seats even though they'd been expecting it. The targeting system screamed at her and she overrode the automated sensors, taking over them manually. Underwater she'd have to account for the currents and fluctuations on her own.

"Reverie, calibrate fluctuations to .13 and input a depth of 118 metres" Lasse instructed.

"Got it." She entered the targeting instruction and adjusted the depth of the weapons system. Luckily they'd gone over a number of simulations and she knew exactly what he was referencing. As it turned out the tiresome drills were worth it.

"Gundams have reached the facility, GN Shield at maximum output." Feldt said, updating the crew.

The shield was definitely at its maximum. Reverie's ears had been filled with the melodic sound of the GN drives from the second they'd started their descent. Somehow the sound kept her calm, not letting her feel the anxiety that should have accompanied her first mission in years. 100 seconds ticked by much faster than expected.

"They've found Allelujah! Launching Arios!"

A new instrument was added to the ship's melody as the fourth Gundam was launched. Reverie muttered a prayer of thanks that the pseudo-drives of the enemy machines were far enough away that they were barely a hum.

There was nothing for Reverie to do at the moment, no enemies approaching close enough to be hit by the ship, and there was no need to help the Gundams. The screen to her left that displayed the ongoing battle showed that the advanced mobile-suits were dominating the confrontation. She watched from the corner of her eye as the green trails of light flitted between explosions. There had been nothing to do until Lasse gave new orders.

"Hold the enemy line back with GN Missiles!" he barked, re-submerging the ship and turning it to port enough to launch the weapons.

"Launching GN missiles from cannons A through E." Reverie replied, entering the command.

"They've got thirty seconds left" Feldt said. There was an underlying current of worry in her voice. "Gundams are leaving the premises, breaking through remaining defence lines."

There was tension in the air for the next fifteen seconds as they waited for the Gundams to return. No one spoke as they ran through their jobs, each holding a knot of apprehension in their minds.

"Gundams have cleared the boundaries, returning to Ptolemy!"

The bridge seemed to give a sigh of relief and everyone relaxed while still staying fixated on their screens. Reverie laughed, turning a few heads.

"What is it?" Feldt asked, unsure.

Reverie exhaled. "Nothing. Just lost in my head." She said. In truth, it was because everyone was thinking the same thing and they were reacting at the same time. They really were a team.

* * *

After a debrief on the bridge and completing her incident reports, Reverie found herself wandering the halls of the ship again. She knew that she should have been analyzing the data that Tieria had given her, but she couldn't look at it until she'd decided on his motives. She wanted to get into his head badly. She should have been elated that there was one person in the world whose thoughts were hidden from her, but given his personality she was undeniably frustrated.

_-They really did a number on him…-_

_-I don't think I've ever seen him so…thin.-_

Reverie stopped and looked around, not quite sure where the thoughts were coming from. She closed her eyes and tried to pick up on an image of the room they were in. It was to the left.

_-…stuck here again with these whiny little peacemongers…-_

That thought caught her off guard. She didn't recognize the voice at all…it must have been the Meister they'd rescued. She found the room where a group of people were gathered and she poked her head in the door.

"Reverie" Lyle waved. Crap. She'd wanted to see what was going on before entering, but she had no choice. Although, she couldn't say she was completely disappointed that she was the reason for a friendly response from the teal-eyed Meister.

_-Finally, I'm not the only odd one out.-_

The fact that neither of them had been a part of Celestial Being for more than a few weeks had somehow become a point to bond over. 'Newbloods should stick together' he'd said. She agreed.

She stepped in the room and looked around. Tieria stood on the far side, displaying an uncharacteristically happy face. Sumeragi stood next to him, looking relieved, and Lyle sat closest to the door. A man that Reverie hadn't seen before sat in the center of the bench that sprawled through the room.

His deep hunter-green hair was still damp, she assumed from a shower, and the back of his black shirt had absorbed the drops that escaped down his well-defined neck. If he looked worse for wear, Reverie had no idea. He was built like a panther or Doberman, strong bones covered with equally strong muscle that moved beneath tanned skin. He turned to look at her and she noticed that his eyes were mismatched, one gold and one silver, set in a beautiful face. Somehow it added to his appearance instead of detracting from it.

"You really do hire based on looks around here, don't you?" She stated more than asked, eliciting a blush from the rescued Meister and a chuckle from Sumeragi.

_-Just like a bitch in heat.-_

Now _that_ caught her off guard. "Excuse me?" she said, leering at the new man. The gentle expression on his face starkly contrasted with the thought she'd just heard. He looked at her wide-eyed and almost innocently.

_-What the fuck? Did she just hear me?-_

"I didn't say anything." The man said almost apologetically. He was very good at playing completely dumb it seemed.

"Allelujah, meet Reverie Traum. She is our newest addition to the team." Tieria explained cooly. "She's a telepath." He said.

_-Ohh this just became SO much more fun.- _the man thought. _–Hey girly, come here.-_

"Why?" she asked. The others looked at her skeptically, Allelujah watched her curiously through his mismatched eyes. _–I want to scare Allelujah.-_

"But you _are_ Allelujah…" she said, tilting her head in confusion "…aren't you?". Allelujah was lost in thought for a moment, then his eyes went wide with shock.

"that isn't possible…" he said, his hand unconsciously raising and stroking his golden right eye.

_-haha! He's getting it! Place your hand over his left eye and tell him Hallelujah says hello…-_

Reverie stepped towards the confused and shocked Meister and let her hand hover over the silver eye. Why was she listening to the thought-voice? She didn't know, but it clearly knew something she didn't. She placed her hand over his eye and slipped her other hand around his, pulling it away from the golden eye that he'd been touching. The contact made him tense then relax. "There's someone else inside your head." She said, ignoring the other voice's instructions.

_-Dammit! Say 'Hallelujah'!-_

The Meister beat her to it. "Hallelujah."

She nodded. "That's who he says he is."

"But he's dead."

"He begs to differ." Begging was the wrong word. He was hurling obscenities at her for not listening to him. She watched Allelujah's shock fade and his eyes narrow in what appeared to be hurt. His body tensed and his larger hand gripped hers almost painfully. "Are you alright?" she asked, her free hand sliding from his eye to his shoulder. She examined the dark circles under his eyes. Maybe this wasn't the best time to bring up an enraged alter-ego.

_-Of course he isn't. He buried me in his moralistic crap about paying for his sins in that damned prison!-_

He nodded and relaxed. "Yeah. I'm sorry." He said as he let go of her hand. "I just haven't heard from Hallelujah in a long time." He sighed, then looked up, a bit alarmed. "Wait, he didn't say anything rude did he?" Allelujah's eyes were brimming with apology this time, and a little bit of worry. For lack of a better word, he was adorable.

"Nothing I can't handle." She smiled and stepped back from the exhausted Meister. It seemed that everyone on this ship was a unique type of crazy, her included.

"Am I missing something?" Lyle's voice made them both look over at him. _–Like a second personality, perhaps?-_ he directed the thought to Reverie who nodded in confirmation. He was much quicker than the rest of the crew gave him credit for.

It was Sumeragi's turn to sigh. "Nothing that's important at the moment. Let's leave Allelujah alone for a bit, I'm sure he could use the rest."

"It's alright ." he said, waving away her concern.

"No, I insist. Your room is the same number as it was on the last ship, go get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow."

He seemed to know better than to argue with her and he stood. "Alright. Reverie, Lockon…, it was nice to meet you both." He said, his voice lingering on the second name. He'd known Lyle's brother as well it would seem. They all waited for him to leave and the room seemed to take on a different tone altogether.

"Reverie Traum, have you completed the data analysis yet?" Tieria asked in a slightly accusatory tone. She was starting to get used to it and his princess-like demeanor was starting to become almost endearing.

"Not yet. I was stuck on the bridge for most of the last two days."

"And you didn't find time to do it in-between?"

"No, I didn't. I'll start on it in the morning."

"Yes, you will."_ Almost_ endearing. A small part of her wanted to backhand the tone out of his voice but she knew it would do no good. She nodded in agreement and ducked out of the room before she could be chastised any further. She made her way to her room to ready her things for the night.

"Reverie?"

She looked down the hall to her left, surprised to see Allelujah leaning against the wall. He must have been waiting for her. She stopped. "Yes?" The word seemed offensive and she didn't know why.

"I know that Hallelujah can't be the most pleasant person to listen to….well, I know for a fact that he isn't, but is he….alright?" he asked, seemingly embarrassed.

_-Tell that snivelling little brat that I'm just fucking peachy.-_

She smiled, her eyebrow raising at the alternate personality. She nodded. "If by fine you mean full of colourful vocabulary and violent suggestions, then yes." She stepped towards him, not wanting to make him strain his apparently hoarse throat.

He smiled apologetically, the gentle expression seeming right at home on his handsome face. "But he's alive?"

_-Alive and bored out of my fucking mind!-_

She nodded again. "He seems upset that you can't hear him, but he's fine."

"Oh…." He said, seeming to realize how infuriated Hallelujah must be. "Thank-you."

"It's alright. If I'd spent my life with someone else in my head I'd be worried about them too."

_-Like hell you would, you lying little…-_

"Do you worry about everyone?" he asked. The question caught her off-guard. He seemed to notice. "I mean, you've been living with everyone else inside your head. Do you worry about them all?"

It was an interesting question. She thought about it for a moment. "When I need to, yes. Only those close to me though…you can't really worry about the whole world. It's too much for one person."

"That's a funny thing for someone in Celestial Being to say." He pointed out.

That rewarded him with a laugh. "It is, isn't it? I guess I had to learn to choose my battles. Everyone in the world has a story that will break your heart, but only some of them need help dealing with it."

_-That is the most ridiculous sappy shit I've ever heard in my life.-_

"It seems Hallelujah thinks I'm an idiot. I guess he's proof that I'm right though." She said thoughtfully, staring down Allelujah's golden eye.

"What do you mean?" He tilted his head and a chunk of his bangs fell over the eye in question.

"Well, you must have a story. You have an enraged alter-ego and pilot a Gundam to end war…it takes a certain kind of person to be in your shoes."

_-If you keep feeding him this sappy crap I swear to god I'll-_

"One sec." she said to Allelujah before stepping forward and placing her hand over his silver eye. "You listen here you unpleasant little snot, I'm not speaking to you, I'm speaking to Allelujah. Back off or I'll never relay a message for you again, got it?"

_-Be careful who you call a 'little snot'. You should be a lot more careful around me doll.-_

"Be careful who you call 'doll'. Not a single message." she warned, wagging a finger in front of the eye. She wasn't sure if covering the silver eye really made a difference, but at least it would let Allelujah know who she was talking to. When Hallelujah's voice went silent she assumed she'd gotten her point across.

"He's being difficult, isn't he? I'm sorry. He really knows how to be a pain." That comment earned the gentle Meister a string of profanity from his other half.

"It's alright. On the other hand you're very sweet, so it balances I'd imagine."

his tanned cheeks tinted with red. "Thank-you". He really was a bashful ten-year-old in a grown man's body.

_Beep beep beep!_

They both looked at her wrist, the source of the offensive beeping. "Sorry, guess I have to go." She checked the medic alert timer that had been fitted snugly around her left wrist. She had exactly five minutes to get to the medical unit for her scheduled sedation.

"Alright." He replied, blush fading. "Thank-you for letting me know about Halle."

"You're welcome. Now get some sleep…you look like you could use it." The dark circles under his eyes were a clear indication that he was ready to crash.

He nodded and headed down the corridor as she split off and made her way to her room. Each night she arrived at the infirmary at exactly 21:45h and received her single shot of sedatives. It took approximately fifteen minutes for them to take effect which was normally just enough time for her to get back to her room and fall into a comfortable sleep. Of course, this meant that she had to get herself ready for bed before she was injected.

Once her teeth and hair were brushed and she'd laid out her clothing for the next day she left for the infirmary. It was considerably far from her room which accounted for her having to have everything ready before she went. She could hear people here and there as they got ready for bed. It was strange, but she was starting to recognize a number of voices on the ship. She could hear Mileina praying for the safety of those on the ship, Setsuna's image-thoughts of what had happened that day, and tonight she heard the addition of Hallelujah who was cursing his horrible luck at being back aboard the 'ship of hypocrites' as he called it.

She found it interesting, listening to the gentle Meister's other personality. Allelujah's body language and demeanor clearly showed that he wasn't really aware of any violent bones that he may have possessed. His alter-ego on the other hand was full of colourful vocabulary, cynical views, and disturbing factoids. She wished she could choose which one she was hearing, but that didn't seem to be a likely possibility. Maybe she'd have to get to know the day-to-day Allelujah through normal means. Conversation.

The idea made her cringe.

She'd come to rely on her curse and part of her couldn't imagine life without it anymore. That thought made her cringe again. She finally reached the infirmary and felt relieved. She could use some well-needed sleep…it was getting hard to block out the thoughts and it had only been sixteen hours.

"I was getting worried for a minute." Shia, the current medic said.

"Really? I didn't see a search party on the way here…" Reverie replied, mock-tapping a finger to her chin thoughtfully.

He chuckled and patted the tall stool in front of him. "Come on, let's knock you out before that tongue of yours gets you in trouble."

"You should have knocked me out a while ago then." She said as she slid her left arm out of her uniform jacket.

"I believe it." He muttered as he swabbed her arm and loaded the sedative gun. He was a middle aged man who at 5'10 stood just barely three inches taller than her. His hair was strewn with bits of grey and lines tugged at the corners of his eyes, but that didn't stop the youthful joy that sat in them. At all times he looked like he was hiding a gigantic secret. "Here comes the dream drug." He said, pressing the silver instrument to her arm. She held back her knee-jerk reaction to flinch when the cold metal teeth 'bit' her skin. "You'd think they'd have found a better way to deliver this drug by now…" he muttered. "…ten years on the market and it still takes ten pins to give a proper dose." _-12mg, you'd think they'd come up with a spray or patch or something…-_

"It's not that bad." She said. It really wasn't, it was just uncomfortable.

"It might not feel too bad, but it's marking up your pretty skin." He said.

She shrugged. "There are worse things that could mark skin." She replied. "Bullet holes, shrapnel, burns"

_-Such an optimist….- _"True. Still, it's a pity. I'm working on a little something that just might work to replace this though." He said, gesturing with the gun in his hand.

"Oh? What is it?"

"It's a secret." His eyes shone with his usual glare, only this time he really was keeping something hidden. She didn't bother to pick his brain, she knew it was useless. He would just start throwing random medical terms around in his head if he started to think about it, as he frequently did with pretty much any topic.

"Well then, until next time." She said, tapping on her watch.

"You never call or write unless you need something. I know, I know." He grinned.

"I'll see you tomorrow Shia."

"Sweet dreams."

Ten minutes later, she was hoping for exactly that. Of course, she had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't dreaming her own dreams, but that she was picking up on the dreams of those around her. She saw places she didn't know, felt love, hatred, and indifference towards people she'd never met before, and was witness to things that seemed to be memories. She could never tell whose though…by the time she woke up she could barely remember them. Just pictures and feelings that didn't make sense once her eyes had opened. Regardless of if they were stolen or not she was grateful for them. As she finally lay back on her bed, hair pinned up and the silky-softness of her night robe wrapped around her she felt the familiar feeling of slipping away. Every night as she drifted away she marvelled at the feeling that she was sinking deep into her mattress. Deep into an undisturbed, unequalled sleep.

* * *

So...I couldn't resist. I found it too convenient that Hallelujah disappeared only to reappear when he was needed. We'll see how long she can get away with teasing him, as we all know he probably won't take any more teasing very well.


	5. Uniform Angst

AN: Wow! Feels like it's been a while since I wrote, but somehow it's only been a long weekend.

This chapter is a little bit of filler and a little bit of chat with the other characters. I mentioned previously that I'm trying to develop some characters more, and this means that Rev will be talking to them quite a bit. I have plans for Marina, H/Allelujah, Somarie, Anew, and some Setsuchan chats. On that note, I've decided to *officially* go with a LylexOC pairing. I weighed my pairing options and went through literally every OC fic I could find on here and some other sites and I couldn't find a single Lyle/OC fic. Time for the snarky Dylandy to get some OC love I think. That being said, I don't think I'm going to pass by Anew. I think there's some lovely plot Angst that can arise there so Rev may go through the wringer a bit. As for this chapter, I wanted to get into Lyle's head a bit as he's so generally masked on the surface. There'll probably be a few more trips into his head throughout this. We'll see.

I listened to "Flawed Design" by Stabilo to write Lyle's bit, for the rest I listened to top 40 hits. It was strange.

* * *

**Uniform Angst**

"_In choosing to be the light you've forced me to be the darkness._"

Lyle sat in the relative darkness of his room. He still had twenty minutes until his alarm would ring but he couldn't manage to sleep through them. He hadn't bothered to turn the light fully on and it emitted a half-hearted glow that mirrored his equally half-hearted mood. Haro didn't seem to care as he sat in his charging station and that was a good enough approval of the lighting for Lyle.

He was thinking about what had happened last night. Perhaps he'd been too harsh with the young girl who'd been watching him. Feldt. Of course he'd been cruel, but it was necessary, wasn't it? The unsettling feeling in his stomach told him that he'd done it more for his own benefit than hers. It was because he couldn't handle the hopeful expression in her eyes, the hope that he was in some way, maybe, his brother. That was why he'd pushed her to slap him. The pain in his cheek was much more honest than the hope-pain in her eyes.

Honest. That was a funny word. When he was young he'd always tried his hardest to be honest, to be a good boy. It had been the only way in which he'd been better than Neil. His mother could always count on getting an answer out of him eventually and he'd always felt a secret sense of pride when he was honest. His brother had always been some level of dishonest but it was never in a manipulative way. He would omit things or avoid topics altogether by burying them in friendly words and actions…it was accidental really. It was a difference that they'd both been aware of but that had been amplified when their family was taken from them. Neil wrapped himself in a blanket of half-truths, dodged answers, and circumstance that left others with no answers but a feeling of camaraderie. Lyle had been brutally honest and it left him alone more often than not. Celestial Being had changed that.

He was no longer honest but he was still more or less alone. He kept the secret of his involvement with Katharon, lied about his abilities with mobile suits, lied about where he'd learned to shoot. It wasn't hard to bury those details here. Everyone knew better than to push a topic that someone didn't want to talk about. They were all sworn to some level of secrecy after-all, but as the days went by Lyle found himself resorting to Neil's tactics; blanketing himself in lies. As far as he could tell it was working just fine, just as it had for his Oscar-deserving actor of a brother. Smile, nod, joke, laugh. Bury the truth. It worked on everyone easily enough. Everyone except Reverie, of course. She'd never actually called him out on his thoughts, but every once in a while he'd forget that she could hear him and he'd let himself slip through. Her long sideways glances were enough to let him know that she'd overheard when he did. For some reason she never brought it up though. That was why he liked being around her. She went along with his façade. Why? He had no idea. He wanted to ask her, but to do so would mean admitting that he spent most of his time covering up his true feelings. He couldn't do that. Not yet.

Of course, the one honest thing that not even Reverie could ignore was that he hated the constant comparison with his brother. Whenever it happened she'd send him a look that said 'here we go again'. He knew that it was more for his benefit than from actual annoyance but it made him feel less alone…if that was possible. His anger at the comparison didn't come from a misplaced sense of identity. He knew who he was and he knew who Neil was. The anger rose because no one could see past his brother's façade. No one could see that underneath the calm joking exterior he was hiding his true feelings from everyone. They were night and day and he was pissed that no one understood. Even their names demonstrated it. Neil. The cloud. High above everyone else and far out of reach but made up of nothing but air. If anyone had ever really gotten to know his brother they would have realized that he wasn't the calm floating cloud of a summery day. No. Neil was the deep purple tumult of a raging storm, one that was angry with all the people who walked the earth. He hated their ignorance, their willingness to accept whatever fate governments handed down, and he hated their willingness to take up arms for a cause they didn't even try to comprehend. _That_ was Neil Dylandy.

So what did that make Lyle?

The island. Separated from those around him by a vast expanse of guarded emotion, anger, and now lies. Anyone who believed that a man couldn't be an island had never met Lyle Dylandy. Thoroughly grounded but always just a few feet away from being swallowed by the world around him. Circumstances tugged like currents this-way and that and he was always caught under the purple-black cloud that was his brother. Lyle was the island, and he was alright with that.

"Lockon, you're early! Lockon, you're early!" Haro announced, swivelling in his charging station to look at him. It was amazing that a robot could act so human.

"Yeah, just a little." He said, patting the orange ball. "Might as well get up, right?"

"Practice time! Time for Prrractice!" the little bot agreed, bouncing out of his station and plopping onto the pillow next to Lyle.

"You said it little man. Let's get going."

* * *

Searing pain brought Reverie out of her sleep exactly eight hours after she'd been knocked out. She shot up in her bed, both hands immediately flying to her head and weaving into her hair. The pain was from a set of pseudo GN drives, she was absolutely sure of that.

Three of them.

That was the only logical explanation. A frantic thought-scan of those awake on the bridge told her that no one had picked up on the intrusion yet. She ripped the covers off the bed and hit the ground, cinching her robe tighter as she struggled to her feet and hit the comm link to the bridge. Feldt's face appeared in front of her. Her head was pounding now as the droning started to overpower her ears.

"Reve-!

"GN Drives! I don't know how far!" she barked through half-clenched teeth. On the screen behind Feldt she could see water. They were still submerged.

"What?" The girl was confused. Of course, it wasn't the most informative sentence Reverie could have given but her brain wasn't responding well to the feeling of being fried.

"GN Drives are approaching, I don't know how far!" She said again, wincing as the pain shot through her temple.

"Are you sure?" Feldt asked, not entirely sure how she'd know such a thing.

"YES!"

She punched the comms screen closed and hit the ground as the sound became louder. It was vibrating over her skin and filling her ears with a high whine. She reached an arm up and grabbed one of the pillows from over the bed and crushed it over her ears as she sat up on her knees. It didn't do anything.

Of course not, why would it? She was hearing the drives with whatever screwed-up brainwave channel she heard everything else on. The snarky side of her asked how she could tune it to HBO.

The alarms aboard the ship started sounding as she got shakily to her feet. She cursed as the impact of _something_ hitting the ship sent her crashing into the far wall. The last thing she needed was a broken bone on top of a broken mind.

Relief flashed over her for a moment as the GN field reached its maximum. The friendly particles shielded her mind so that she could think far enough ahead to run for the Infirmary. If they could get sensors attached to her fast enough they might get more data on her injury. At the very least she could get a painkiller.

She ducked out into the hall and pulled the silk fabric of her robe around her just in time to be thrown into another wall.

"Are you alright?" a worried voice. She couldn't hear the thoughts right now, not over the droning whine in her head. "Miss, are you alright!?" It was urgent now as she held her head again. She looked up into a set of wide blue eyes. Jet black hair hung over her shoulders and down her back. It was the woman Setsuna had brought aboard during the mission to rescue Allelujah.

The ship stopped shaking.

The woman's question was forgotten by both of them as they slowly sat up and looked around. The bombardment had stopped.

"Is it over?" she asked. Clearly she'd never been in the middle of any kind of conflict.

"No."

The second the word left her mouth there was an immediate crash that sent them tumbling across the floor and into the other wall. Reverie shrieked and clutched her head again. She was getting really sick of the motion and even more sick of the pain.

"Let me help!" the woman said, shifting to her feet and slipping her arms around Reverie's waist, helping her stand.

"Infirmary!" she snapped a little rudely through clenched teeth. "Just get me there and we'll be fine."

* * *

"Is she going to be ok?" Marina had sat in the infirmary with the now passed-out girl for the past two and a half hours. The ship had stopped shaking and a voice over the intercom had told them that the battle had ended. The doctor in front of her, Shia, had explained the details: Katharon had intervened and forced the A-Laws back, and now they were on their way to the Katharon base.

"Well, luckily you got her here fast enough to have her brainwaves monitored…that gave me some useful data." Shia replied, pushing his pen back into his coat pocket.

Marina scoffed, almost offended. "I mean is she going to be _ok_. I don't care about data…she's a person!" she said, her voice raising.

"Now now calm down. I know she's a person. Without data I can't do anything to help her." He said as he slipped a syringe of clear liquid into her elbow. "If we don't know what's wrong or how it works we can't figure out how to fix it."

"What about the pain, can you do something to help that?" Marina asked. She'd seen the girl running through the halls, stumbling and holding her head. To be honest, the whole scene aboard the ship, wailing sirens, running people, explosions…it was all so foreign to her. The girl was the one piece that she could help for the better.

"We probably can but the problem is how quickly it sets in." he said as he adjusted a monitor and sighed as he looked at the sleeping girl. "Short of knocking her out there isn't really much that can be done right now."

"There's no way to get rid of the pain?" Marina pulled at the seam of her shirt cuff. She didn't like the idea of anyone being in pain…and this girl was in pain while fighting with Celestial Being. Pain and war. The only two things that Marina would ever say she hated.

"I don't want the pain to be gone. It's how I knew the drives were approaching."

Shia and Marina both looked at Reverie as she cursed under her breath and raised a hand to her head.

"Well it's about time you woke up" Shia said, flicking a small light in her eyes and making her swat his hand away. "So no pain, eh? I hope that isn't your kink…" he joked, giving her a fatherly look of disapproval.

"Calm down old man. I have my reasons." She replied, sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.

"You shouldn't sit up so fast…" he warned. The warning came too late and she cursed and fell back against the pillow again. "The drug I gave you to wake you up can make you a little dizzy at first."

"A _little_ dizzy? I feel like I'm strapped to a merry-go-round." She said as she sat up again, swerving a little.

"Here, let me help." Marina said, steadying her by her arm.

Reverie looked at her in confusion for a moment. "You're the one who helped me get here." She said more than asked. Her eyes widened suddenly. "I'm so sorry, did you wait here the whole time?"

Marina nodded. "Yes. It's alright though, I had nothing else to do here really, so helping you was the best I could do."

Shia sighed, not interested in the exchange at all. "Well, you can keep helping her for the next ten minutes and make sure she doesn't run into any walls or fall over. The last thing we need is a sarcastic domino falling all over the ship." He quipped. "Now, up, up! Get outta here!" he said as he waved his hands in a 'shoo' motion.

Reverie took the hint and stood to the best of her ability, inadvertently leaning against Marina who supported her. She looked up at the smirking doctor. "You know, if I wasn't seeing two of you right now I'd give you a piece of my mind."

"Already have a piece right here." He said without missing a beat, waving the folder in his hand as the two women left the room.

They walked along the halls in silence for a few feet until Reverie stumbled. Marina caught her with surprising ease and helped steady her back on her feet.

"I'm sorry that you have to haul me around." Reverie said apologetically. "I hope for both our sakes that the sedative wears off fast."

"It's alright really, I don't really have anything else to be doing on board…I don't think that they anticipated my rescue." Marina replied, letting go of the brunette once she was stable.

"That's right, Setsuna rescued you, didn't he?" Reverie asked.

"He did." She said. The brunette looked at her curiously then smiled.

"But you don't know why he did, right?" she said, almost as though she'd known what Marina had been thinking.

"No, I don't." she said as she looked away. She and Setsuna had a complicated friendship. She wasn't sure how it had happened, but the younger boy had become someone important to her. His story made her heart heavy but his strength made it swell. Although she didn't agree with his methods for reaching peace, she respected his drive to achieve his goal. He was determined and fearless yet somewhere deep under the surface he was innocent. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did.

"You're Marina Ismail, right?" the woman asked. Marina nodded, embarrassed that she'd forgotten to introduce herself. The brunette smiled. "I'm Reverie Traum."

"That's an unusual name." Marina said, wondering if it was real or not.

"I like to think that it's more real than my given name." Reverie said, once again answering the thoughts that Marina hadn't spoken. "As for Setsuna, he thinks about you a lot." She said as she stopped outside a door.

Marina could feel the flush in her cheeks. "He does?"

"At least as much as he thinks of the Gundams, which is a pretty decent amount…the Gundams are on his mind almost exclusively." She replied.

"Oh…I didn't realize that." Marina wasn't sure why her cheeks lit up, she and Setsuna definitely did not have a friendship that called for the reaction. She thought of him as a younger brother almost, one that was in need of guidance. "Did he tell you this?" she asked. She found the idea hard to believe, but how else could she have known about the young Meister's thoughts?

"Not exactly." The brunette replied. "I have a way of finding these things out." She said, tapping her index finger to the side of her head. "Anyways, this is me." She motioned to the door. "I would like to speak with you more a little later on…right now I should probably get changed into something more…appropriate." She said, fiddling nervously with the hem of the short silk robe that was pulled tightly around her. She was right, there was no way she could keep standing in the hallway like that.

"I'd like that a lot." Marina acknowledged. Truth be told she didn't know many people on the ship, and making friends had always been something she'd enjoyed. The girl was strange for sure, but she was an interesting type of strange…and anyone who could give insight into Setsuna's mind was someone she wanted to know better.

Reverie waved before slipping into the room and Marina found herself free to roam the ships once again. Of course, this time she knew she wanted to see the focus of Setsuna's thoughts; the Gundams.

* * *

_Three hours later_

Tieria shook his head as he looked at the data from the earlier tangle with the A-Laws.

It was impossible.

According to the data before him the mobile armour's power was cut down by almost thirty percent immediately before it had struck the ship. His Trans-Am system had made quick work of it, but even he had to admit that it had been easier to deal with than he'd expected.

The mobile armour had shown up on the radar at 6:36a.m. Reverie Traum had paged the bridge and told them about the three approaching GN drives at 6:34, minutes after her nightly sedatives wore off. Eighteen minutes later she had been sedated again due to the severe pain of an acute headache and 'hearing' screaming. Eighteen minutes after 6:34 he had destroyed the mobile armour. Combined with the AEU's medical file on the girl he couldn't ignore the possibility that she'd somehow altered the Pseudo GN Drive's output, and he couldn't deny the fact that she'd heard its approach before the radar had. She could hear them coming. She'd been the one to cut the armour's power back enough to make it Seravee's cannon fodder.

If it was true it was amazing.

He slipped the data drive into his pocket and marvelled at his annoyance over his situation. He wanted to analyze the girl right now…he wanted to find out exactly how her gift worked and how to apply it to the ship. He couldn't though, not now. Right now he had to get her onto the descent craft that was heading into the Katharon base.

He'd returned as soon as the threat to the ship had dissipated, and neither he nor Sumeragi knew how to interpret Katharon's intervention or request for a meeting. The two groups did have similar goals, but Celestial Being was far more advanced and was much better equipped to carry out missions than the rogue organization. Neither was worried about a confrontation, but they were still on their guard.

Reverie Traum would come to the meeting as a way to assess the honesty of the organization's leaders. If they were lying she would most definitely know. Her usefulness was getting harder and harder to ignore and in the last three hours Tieria had realized that tactical forecasting wasn't her purpose aboard the ship.

No.

Her purpose was much more unique, and he had every intention of figuring out exactly how to use her abilities to Celestial Being's benefit.

_Just remember that she's human._

Lockon's words echoed in his head frequently when he pondered the woman's abilities, or when he thought about anything really. Lockon was in his head more often than not lately, especially as he saw his twin walking the ship day after day. He didn't like him. He didn't like his attitude, his teasing, or the look in his blue-green eyes that seemed so guarded. Lockon - the _real_ Lockon - never would have had a glare like that. He was open and approachable, not hiding his true intentions behind a baseline of sarcasm and jest. Somehow the fact that Reverie Traum had become friends with the twin had made Tieria like her less. The two of them seemed to have a camaraderie that the others weren't privy to. A private circle of two. Even Allelujah, who was notably friendly and approachable, couldn't seem to get onto the same wavelength.

_Or is it you and the other veterans who've pushed the two of them out?_

Lockon again. His unguarded blue-green eyes were almost smiling in Tieria's mind. "Is that so wrong? They weren't here…they couldn't possibly understand-!"

_Understand loss? He's my brother, Tieria. He understands it as well as I do. As well as you do. _

"And her?" he said defensively to the air.

_Would she have joined if she didn't?_

Damn him and his logic. Always so right and always sung in Tieria's mind with the all-knowing warmth of his big-brother tone. "We'll see." He muttered. He checked the screen of his room when he heard a knock on his door; it was a very strange action in the modern-day world.

Reverie Traum.

Of course he'd been expecting her, he'd asked her to meet him so he could instruct her about her job at the meeting. He wanted to be very specific afterall.

_Be nice, Tieria._

"One step at a time." He said under his breath as he abolished the darkness of his room with the flick of a switch. He'd be civil, but _nice_ would wait until the two new-bloods had earned his respect. Somehow, a part of him hoped that they would.

A small part.

He hit the lock for the door and stepped back to let her in as it slid quickly open.

"You wanted to see me?" she said. He immediately noticed the data drive in her hand and wondered what it was about.

"Yes. You will be travelling into the Katharon base with us and you will be present at our meeting with their officials." He said nonchalantly as he slid a set of drives into their respective places in one of his drawers.

"Getting right to business I see." She muttered under her breath. "Fine. Did you call me here just to tell me that?" she asked, her eyebrow raised in a typically human gesture of annoyance. He'd come to adopt it himself over the last few years and as such understood its meaning.

"No. I asked you here to explicitly tell you that you will not speak during the meeting. At all."

"Scared I'll single-handedly take-down the meeting?" she asked, the annoyed gesture remaining. She wore it frequently around him.

He sighed – another human gesture - and chose his reply carefully. "We don't want anyone outside of the Ptolemaios to know about your abilities if possible. Furthermore, if you don't speak it'll be less likely that they'll remember you."

"Ah" she smiled. "So you'd like me to be forgettable so I can be used again."

"Exactly. The less people that remember your face, the better. It's a pity you aren't more unnoticeable, though."

"Excuse me…?" she asked, clearly confused.

"Men seem to pay attention to you. There will likely be a number of them there, so please wear this." He said, handing her another uniform. This one consisted of a white Celestial Being jacket and brown undershirt. A new set of pants sat under the set.

"Why a new uniform?" she asked, looking skeptically at it as she picked through the pile.

"According to my research white is the least-flattering color for the female body. In addition, this one is a size larger than your usual one." He said as he slid the drawer shut and stepped out into the hall past her, flicking off the light in his room on the way out. She followed.

"Why not just bandage my face and go all the way?" she muttered under her breath as she walked after him.

He thought about the question for a moment before nodding. "Actually, that wouldn't be a bad ide-!"

"I was joking!" she half snapped. "There is no way in hell I'd let you bandage my head, Tieria. I'd expect you to suffocate me."

"That would be detrimental to the interests of Celestial Being." He replied calmly. "Make sure to change uniforms." He said as he continued walking.

"So that's it?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes."

She sighed and dug around in her pocket before holding out the data drive from earlier. "I'm guessing you don't need this then."

"What is it?" he asked, eyeing the drive over his shoulder.

"It's the tactical forecast that you asked for." She replied. "Although I know you don't actually need it."

"What makes you say that?" he asked as they turned down another hall.

"I know that you only wanted to use my forecast to bait Sumeragi into returning to Celestial Being. It seems that Allelujah's managed to talk her into staying, so you don't need it anymore."

"How would that help?" He asked skeptically.

"You are obviously aware that I could never compete with her forecasting ability, so you were relying on the inadequacy of my plan to make her realize that she was irreplaceable."

He winced in his head as she hit the nail on the head. "I thought you couldn't read my thoughts." He replied, taking the data drive from her hand.

"I can't."

"Then how did you-!"

She smirked. "You know, mind-reading isn't always needed to find out motives. It makes the most logical sense."

He was a mix of infuriated and intrigued. He didn't like the idea that she could use logic to understand him, but at the same time he couldn't deny the usefulness of her people-reading ability. If she could combine her thought-hearing capability with a genuine understanding of human motive, she would be an irreplaceable asset to the team. "You're right." He finally replied. "Although I'll take this to make an accurate assessment of your abilities." He said as he stopped in front of Sumeragi's door.

"Good." She nodded. "I spent quite a few hours detailing that plan."

"That was wise of you. Now go change. The landing craft leaves in ten minutes. Also, pull back your hair. No bangs." He said, listening as she sighed with aggravation.

"Yes overlord." She muttered as she left.

He smiled. He really didn't care what she looked like but it was necessary for the mission. He looked at the door in front of him and for once was at a bit of a loss. Reverie's strange gesture was stuck in his head.

Had he ever knocked on a door? He didn't think so.

Did it matter? Not really.

He looked at it for a long second before he raised his hand and knocked.


	6. Shooting Stepdaddy

AN: Me again! School is approaching steadily (on Tuesday...) so I've been hiding in my house and writing/preparing for the copious amounts of stress that will shortly arrive. Between cheer, dance, work, school, and shoots, I'll be hard-pressed to find time to breathe. That being said, I'll probably keep writing...it keeps me de-stressed.

I had fun with this chapter but I was upset when I "ran out" of space. I try to limit myself to 4,500 words (although I'll let myself go over if I can fit the rest into 500 words or less minus AN) but it just couldn't be done this time. I could have tried to squeeze it into this chapter but I decided it was better to write more in two parts than trying to squish everything into one. On that note, I'm glad to see that the number of readers is increasing by a lot! Please let me know what you think, if nothing else it gives me motivation to write. I have to say I expected readers to drop off rather than increase once I decided on a Lyle pairing, but I'm glad to see that I was wrong. A huge thank-you to StormyMonday whose reviews make me squee in happiness and which also are constructive.

I listened to "Heartbeat" by Childish Gambino for this chapter although it doesn't really apply at all, I just like the bass.

* * *

**Shooting Stepdaddy**

_"A family is only as true as the ties that bind it together."_

Reverie was unimpressed to say the least. The uniform that Tieria had given her was definitely unflattering and she'd never quite gotten used to her face without bangs. To be honest she was furious. The purple-haired princess got on her nerves frequently, and she guessed that this was another one of his ploys to assert his authority. Why did she go a long with it then? Because she was acutely aware that Tieria had a larger hand in her fate on the ship than she'd like to admit. The others didn't seem to question the assignments that he gave her, and although he still deferred some level of responsibility to Sumeragi, it was obvious that he was the one running things. Seeing as he'd been the one to bring her aboard the ship, the others left her fate in his hands without question. That was why she was staring at her reflection in the window of the small passenger shuttle and cursing. Of course, the heat of the flight-suit that Tieria had insisted she wear wasn't improving her mood any. He'd wasted all that time finding an unflattering outfit just to put her in an oversized unnecessary flightsuit. She needed an excuse to wear a helmet, he'd said. If he pulled anymore stunts like this he'd be the one in need of protective headgear.

She sighed and looked past her reflection and out the window. They were travelling over what seemed to be a desert and the sun made the bright gold of the sand almost unbearable to look at. She wasn't particularly bothered by the brightness though. One thing was certain: it was hard to stay mad at Tieria when the sounds of Cheridum and Arios' GN Drives were washing over her. The green-producing drives soothed her. If the Pseudo GN Drives caused her pain and filled her head with the searing droning, Celestial Being's GN drives did the opposite. They sang to her, refreshed her, and smoothed away any discomfort that she was feeling. She closed her eyes and basked in the sing-song melody of the pair of mobile suits. Luckily for her Cherudim and Arios were close enough to drown out the GN Particle Dispersal units that dotted the desert below.

"Tieria says you can hear the Gundams."

Reverie didn't have to open her eyes to know that it was Setsuna who spoke, but she did anyways. He looked out the window with her, staring at the set of suits as they escorted the carrier-shuttle. "I can." she said, nodding.

"What is it like?" A blurry image of Double-Oh flashed in her head and she realized that he was unsure.

"It's hard to put into words. It's like a beautiful song…one that takes away pain and stress and leaves you feeling like you've just woken up."

He was silent for a few moments before he looked at her sideways. His brown eyes were always so heavily guarded, but at the same time they were always so loaded with emotions that she couldn't understand. "Is that what peace is?" A flash of Marina's face came to her this time.

That made her tilt her head in thought. "I would imagine so…a true peace, yes." He always asked the heaviest questions, almost as though he had no reason to ask ones that had light answers. "Why?" she questioned.

He looked back out the window. "If Gundam can bring peace through actions, then it should bring peace with its voice as well."

She didn't know what to respond to that. It was true, even moreso coming from Setsuna. He was so old but so young, so torn apart by his past but so resolute in his future. He was far too many things to be a twenty-one year-old boy. Young and old, hard and soft, silent but unavoidably loud.

He didn't seem to care that she hadn't answered him. "I want to hear the Gundams." He finally said. They both knew of course that it wasn't possible, but Reverie couldn't help but feel that it was unfair that she could hear them but he couldn't. He was the one who should have been able to hear the beautiful song that was obscuring his words. Could she find a way to do that? Not the actual sound of course, but could she find something that came close?

"I wish I could let you all hear them." She finally replied. She would try. There had to be a song out there that could capture some small part of what she was hearing. "I feel guilty because I'm the only one that can hear it."

"That's pointless." He said flatly.

She laughed. "I guess it is, but I feel like I'm taking it all for myself."

"You didn't want this." The second the words left his mouth she was hit by a set of images that painted out a horrible scene. A boy, young, maybe seven or eight, gun trained on a woman who knelt before him. Her eyes weren't scared though, they were filled with something else. Pity? Sadness? Regret? She was saying something but Reverie couldn't tell what, the words coming in a language she didn't understand. The woman held out her arms for an embrace, then the bright flash of the gun and the image was gone. She took a sharp breath as she steadied her mind again, then looked at Setsuna who continued to stare out the window.

"Setsuna…was that you?" she asked against her better judgement.

He didn't look at her, didn't signal that he'd heard the implicating question. Finally he turned away from the window. "I didn't want that." He said as he stepped past her and back to the chair he'd been occupying when she'd boarded. She turned and looked after him, wanting to say something, to do something normal, like hug him and tell him it was alright. Would she? No. Setsuna was far past that point. He didn't need her to console him, he didn't need to hear justification from someone else. Just from feeling his thoughts she could tell that he was made of a type of iron that was reserved for those with strong shoulders.

Still.

The feeling of the thought lingered with her. Emptiness. He'd felt nothing when the trigger was pulled. Had he felt nothing after it? There wasn't grief attached to the image, no remorse or regret. Of course, she'd come to realize that Setsuna didn't feel things the same way other people did, and he definitely didn't cope in the same way either. Maybe the fact that the memory was still so clear was enough indication of its importance. He may have felt nothing, but it was there. Clear, crisp, and unaltered. If it had really meant nothing it wouldn't have been passed to her.

And as he himself had just said, he hadn't wanted that.

"Shuttle is descending." Tieria said, his voice taking her focus away from the blue-clad pilot who was now sliding his helmet on. The shuttle grew eerily silent then. It had been silent for most of the trip, but their approach of the Katharon base removed the element of comfort from the dead air. Reverie listened to the sounds of the Gundams until they landed and powered down. The silence seemed to steal away the restful peace that the GN drives had given her nerves. Finally the shuttle shuddered as it touched down and Tieria and Setsuna stood.

"Here." Tieria said, pulling a white helmet from under his seat. "The one attached to your suit doesn't hide your identity." He said. "Your face, like ours, will be hidden unless it's determined that our identities won't be compromised." He explained before she had a chance to argue.

She sighed and slid the helmet on, pulling her hair out of its cursed ponytail beforehand.

Tieria was unimpressed. "I thought I said no-!"

"You get one or the other, Tieria. I can't wear this comfortably with that god-awful ponytail."

He didn't reply as he slid his own helmet on, and she took it as a sign of grudging approval. He let down the ramp of the shuttle and they were met by an excited group of what looked like rag-tag rebels. Reverie stayed back with Setsuna as Tieria met Lyle and Allelujah at the end of it. The amount of thoughts caught her off guard.

-_There's five of them…only two gundams here though? Where are the others?-_

_-A purple suit? Is that a woman? Could it really be a woman piloting one of those things?-_

_-I wonder which one is Gene One…-_

Gene One? What were they talking about? It seemed like a code name, but Reverie couldn't be sure. She honed in on the man's thoughts, but his thought pattern changed to Cherudim as he marvelled over the green and white machine. Useless. There were too many for her to keep listening to all of them and she narrowed the field down to those immediately near her. Of course, because she was familiar with the Meisters now it was difficult to not pick up on their thoughts. She recognized their 'thought-voices' and couldn't quite push them out in a crowd. It was strange.

"It's a real honour to have you with us, Celestial Being" a man at the front said.

"Yeah, won't you show us your faces?" a second said more than asked. She didn't have to read Tieria's mind to know that the question would annoy him.

_-Might as well, they've seen me before anyways.-_ Lyle thought. They'd seen him before? Where?

"Oh right, my fault." He said, reaching for his helmet and sliding it off. His actions were rewarded by an underhanded chastising from Tieria.

"Our identities are secret."

"Stop being such a stickler for details. They did help us out after-all." She could hear the smirk in Lyle's voice as he replied. It was something she'd come to pick up on easily...almost as easily as his tendency to annoy Tieria.

Tieria sighed and Allelujah removed the reflective barrier from his helmet to look around, leaving the headgear in place. He didn't say anything, but Hallelujah was vocal enough for the both of them. _–Hey girly, put on a little weight since we last saw each other?-_

She wanted to slap the man's other half. She liked talking to Allelujah, but the voice in his head made no effort to hide its dislike for her. Of course, she took every possible opportunity to tease him, often evoking a string of creative profanity as a response. She'd decided that the alter-ego's fascination with insulting her was a result of being lonely. She was the only one who could hear him, so she was the one who received the full force of his 'charm'.

Setsuna slid off his helmet much to Tieria's dismay and Allelujah followed shortly after.

"Tieria?" Reverie questioned, motioning to her helmet as he turned.

"You might as well." He half-huffed before dialing back the visor of his own.

She was relieved to pull the suffocating headgear off and tuck it under her arm. She shook her loose hair out, pulling it from the neck of her flightsuit and unzipping the top of the heat-trap. "Thank-god" she muttered. She noticed a few glances from the crowd in front of them, eager faces studying the Meisters.

_-Is that woman a pilot too? That flightsuit is different.-_

_-What about the one in the purple?-_

_-Jesus Rev, you should wear your hair down more often.-_ She sent a sideways glance at Lyle who did an impeccable job of keeping a straight face as he looked back at her. She wished she could think back at him, it could have made an impressive game. He seemed to enjoy thought-flirting, occasionally pushing far enough to make her blush in situations that didn't call for the action, such as programming weapon controls or receiving a briefing from Tieria. It was impressive.

What happened next didn't impress her at all.

"_Karen!?" _

That voice. Thick German accent. It was so familiar that it shot daggers of anger through her. Her head whipped around as she looked for the source of it, finally settling on a middle-aged man who was pushing his way through the crowd. He walked with a barely noticeable limp, and an old jagged scar ran across the left side of his head, stopping his grey-peppered hair from growing where it sat.

"_Karen Muller-Weiss!?"_

Her eyes widened in panic as her stepfather said her full real name. Tieria's helmeted head whipped around to face her but she didn't care about his opinion at the moment. She was furious. The man before her didn't seem to care and he almost stomped towards her. He set foot on the ramp of the shuttle but Allelujah held up an arm in a 'stay back' gesture. Her stepfather looked at the tall orange-clad man and stopped.

"Weiss." She said shortly.

"Excuse me?" he half-spat.

"I never took on your name, step-daddy dearest." There was venom hanging off her words and she didn't try to hide it.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded in German, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation in a language that everyone understood. The tone made her blood boil. He had no right to demand anything of her. _–Of course she'd be here to ruin this, just like everything else.- _his thoughts insulted her.

"Isn't that obvious?" she said, motioning to the Meisters around her. "I'm here with Celestial Being to discuss a possible partnership."

"Gottverdammt!" he snapped, placing a hand on his face as his German cursing slipped through. "We're supposed to trust _them_ and _you're _with them!?" _–drug using lying little bitch!-_

She muttered under her breath. "Du hurensohn…" All things considered she could have been more creative than 'son of a bitch'. "I have better places to be than here arguing with you." She continued in her native tongue. She stepped past him, the crowd parting awkwardly, scuttling out of the way. None of them wanted to be part of the awkward family scene. She wasn't sure where she was going, but the bits and pieces she picked up from the words around her told her that the red door to the left was a good guess. She walked through it and kicked it shut behind her.

"Don't you walk away from me you little-!"

His voice was cut off as the door closed, and she didn't give a damn. Throwing a tantrum was light-years out of character for her, but that man was the one person in the world that could elicit the response. She could hear the Meisters, Marina, and Sumeragi as they followed towards the door, their thoughts not straying very far from the scene that had just unfolded. She could also hear the murmur of the crowd outside. So much for being inconspicuous. It wasn't her fault though. How the hell would she have ever guessed that that…_lowlife_ would be part of Katharon?

"Reverie Traum! What the hell do you think you wer-!"

"Shut it, Tieria!" she barked at the purple-haired Meister. He looked at her in surprise, then opened his mouth to retaliate but she held up a finger. "Don't say _one damned word."_

That seemed to work. He huffed and looked away, unimpressed but not willing to tempt the angry brunette. Sumeragi looked at her questioningly. They'd never really spoken, but Reverie felt her head cool off as she realized how badly she could have just blown things up for the forecaster. "I'm sorry." She said to the older brunette. "I didn't know that he would be here and it caught me off guard. We have a very…dark history."

"It's alright." The woman said. Her eyes were kind, and as Reverie picked through her thoughts she couldn't find any anger. "We all have somewhat troubled pasts."

She didn't have a bad past compared to the rest of those on the ship though, which made her feel even worse. She had no excuse for losing her cool like that. Why not just pretend that she had no idea who he was? A little late for that now, but it could have worked. "Still, I shouldn't have."

"You're right, you shouldn't have." Tieria spat.

The back of her hand connected with his cheek before she had a chance to think the action through. His red eyes scalded her in complete fury as his glasses clattered to the floor. "I said _shut-up!_" she yelled at him. She could see a tremble of anger run through his frame.

"Rever-!"

"Tieria, cool it. Not all of us can turn things off like a robot." Lyle interrupted, placing himself between the purple-clad Meister and the upset telepath. Tieria's fury wasn't masked at all as he picked up his glasses and stalked away, angered further by a smiling Setsuna. Had Reverie not been so angry she would have stared in awe at the odd expression. She knew of course that the confrontation was far from over, but she would willingly take the break. Lyle placed a gloved hand on Reverie's shoulder. "Are you ok?" He tilted his head as if to say 'that was weird'.

–_Bruns Muller is her stepfather?-_

Her eyes shot wide with surprise at that. "You _know_ him!?" she sent a shocked and accusing glare at Lyle. How would he know her asshole stepfather who was apparently a part of Katharon? He sent her a sharp look that was full of alarm. She'd touched on something that she wasn't supposed to and it showed in the suddenly very calculated, almost dangerous look in his eyes. _–Not another word.-_

"Or what!?" she said incredulously in a half-whisper, answering his thought. His hand tightened on her shoulder and she suddenly became very aware of it. _–Or things get very ugly.-_

Had he just threatened her? "You aren't getting away from this." She said, dropping her voice to a barely audible tone. The others walked away from the two of them and down the hall, clearly not wanting to be involved in whatever was going on. "You're going to tell me how you know him." She said, meeting the harsh look he was giving her with equally unwavering eyes. She didn't want to admit it, but there was something in his eyes that was almost scary. Almost.

_-Or what?-_ it was his turn to ask.

"Or I cry wolf with half a story and you get checked over with a fine-toothed comb." She murmured again. The look in his eyes said she'd struck gold. He was spying, presumably for Katharon. She'd never quite realized how imposing he was until now. Staring up at the angered Irishman she suddenly felt very short, something she wasn't used to.

He sighed in frustration and ran his other hand through his hair, almost wiping away the dangerous expression he'd had seconds earlier. "Let's get you calmed down, we'll talk about this later." He said in a jovial tone, putting on a tiny show for the other members of their group. He slipped his arm over her shoulders and gripped her tight enough to be a warning as the group of Meisters started making their way through the halls.

_Stupid stepfather! _She cursed at him in her head. If he hadn't been there Lyle wouldn't have had the thought that had given him away, and she wouldn't be feeling a hot pang of adrenaline shooting through her. Of course, there was no getting out of the situation. Lyle was pissed, it wasn't hard for her to see.

The carefree expression on his face sat in stark contrast to the crushing grip that he had on her far shoulder. Had his hands always been that big? She didn't believe that he would actually do anything to her, but had she known him long enough to trust him? Of course not. He had willingly joined Celestial Being. That was reason enough to be worried. Setsuna had presumably shot his mother, Hallelujah had detailed a dozen different ways that he would kill her if given the chance, and Tieria would probably throw her out into space after this. Why trust that Lyle would have any reservations about getting rid of her? She didn't know. She tuned into his stream of thoughts, the one thing that the majority of the world couldn't control when panicked.

_-Dammit. Do I tell Klaus? Do I tell them myself? They must already know. Tieria wouldn't let something like that go by unnoticed…they must know. What if they don't? My ability scores must have tipped them off as well. Dammit Rev, why'd you have to pick up on that? I don't want to do this…-_

Do what? He was panicking in his head but his expression was as calm as a placid lake. His arm slung over her shoulders went unnoticed as anything other than a friendly gesture by the Meisters, yet she was acutely aware that it wasn't one. He slowed their pace considerably as the group ahead of them entered a room. "Here." He said before pulling her down another hallway. It was barely lit, obviously unused. She had no intention of fighting him on it. That would be a sight, her trying to fight Lyle. The mental image would have been funny if she hadn't been shaking nervously. Of course, she was very good with the hand-to-hand training that she'd received from the AEU, but it didn't take much thought to realize that a spy undercover in Celestial Being would probably put her severely to shame. She looked up at the maple-haired Meister uncertainly but his face was obscured by the shadows of the hall.

_-What the hell am I doing? It's not like I'm going to do anything. She's a woman. She's my friend. I can't hurt her. I need to scare her. How? I can't be rough. Jesus this would be so much easier if she was a guy…-_

The idea of being rough with her sickened him, she could feel it. It was obvious from his thoughts that she was safe, but he was also extremely anxious. The feeling radiated from him…it was something she'd never felt from him before. She spun away from him, pulling his hand off her in the process and placed her back firmly on the wall, almost helping him by standing where he wanted. "What's going on, Lyle? Why are we here?" The shake in her voice surprised her.

He placed a hand firmly on either side of her on the wall, keeping her there without applying any force. The message was enough. _Stay._ She could hear his breathing, it was slow but restrained, like he was holding back. "How much do you know?" he finally said, his voice much darker than normal and missing its usual playfulness. Of course, he wasn't playing at all.

"I know that you know my stepfather's real name without it having been mentioned. Your thoughts tell me that you're spying for someone. I'm assuming its Katharon. I can't see you working with anyone else."

She heard a low growl of frustration. "What do you intend to do with that idea, Rev?" he asked, using his recently found pet-name for her. Her flightsuit was stifling, her nerves firing off warning bells. If only she could have seen his eyes…she wasn't sure what emotion they would hold right then.

"Teach me to shoot!"

The words left her mouth without any thought at all and she was as surprised as he was.

"_What?"_ he said, confused and exasperated by the sudden change of subject.

"Teach me to shoot and I won't say anything." She furthered the idea.

"Really? That's it?" she heard his skeptical tone and nodded. _–What kind of game are you playing, Rev?-_

"No game. What do I get if I turn you in? Not much. I lose a friend, we lose our link to Katharon, and I still won't know how to shoot well."

She listened as he weighed her response in his head. "Anything else?" he asked, a hint of relief in his voice. She couldn't see his eyes, but she wanted to.

"And no more secrets." Her voice had lost its shake.

"You make this sound like a relationship." He quipped. "Why?"

"Because if I know about things I can cover for you." She said. He was always guarded around everyone, even her. She'd heard bits and pieces slip through here and there but she knew that there was a Lyle under the surface that he kept submerged, drowning. She wanted to see that Lyle. How had she changed to wanting to know him more after deciding seconds ago that she couldn't trust him? She didn't know.

"Why would you cover for me?" The edge in his voice was back, skeptical and strange.

"I already told you. If I say something I lose a friend and we lose our link to Katharon. As long as no one is being hurt, I see no reason to turn you in and make mud out of water."

He sighed but stepped back, lifting his hands from either side of her and smoothing out his hair again. "Is that really it?"

"Yes." She said simply.

"Fine. Deal." He said awkwardly. "Do we shake on this? Normally these situations leave the person who would be you a little bruised and scared…not agreeing to get marksmanship lessons and a soul-searching license." He said, the joking tone slowly creeping back into his voice. She could hear him cursing at himself for not being harder with her, but she could also feel his relief.

"It couldn't hurt." She said. She extended her hand. "To me keeping my mouth shut and you opening yours." He hesitated in taking it, but finally his larger hand slipped around hers.

"To that." He agreed. They stood awkwardly in silence for a moment, like kids who had just agreed to keep silent about a box of missing cookies. "We should get back."

"Tieria will have my head if I'm not in that meeting." Reverie agreed, nodding. Explaining where they'd been would be awkward enough...facing Tieria would be worse.

"I'll have Tieria's head if he gets any more pretentious." Lyle muttered. "That was a nice slap, by the way."

"I think I hurt my wrist...his cheek was hard." Reverie muttered, still trying to command her heart rate to go back to normal. She'd have to get Lyle back for the near heart-attack at some point.

"Let's hope your hand was harder." Lyle quipped, the snarky tone back in his voice. It was over. They made their way out of the dark hall and back to where the other Meisters had split off. She let Lyle lead, now knowing that he knew his way around much better than she did. "They should be in here…" he said, pushing open a steel door to their left.

Sure enough, they were. Sumeragi, Setsuna, Tieria, Marina, and someone that Reverie couldn't name stood across a table from a set of what she assumed to be Katharon's operatives. The group of them stared at the pair of newbloods and Reverie couldn't help but want to roll her eyes. She resisted the urge, though.

"It's about time." Tieria said, sighing in annoyance. He stared Lyle down next. "Back to the Gundams with you. Allelujah is there alone." His tone effectively conveyed his dislike of the man. Of course, Tieria didn't try to hide his feelings…Reverie couldn't remember if he'd ever called Lyle anything other than 'You'. Then again, everyone seemed to believe that uttering the name "Lockon" was sacrilegious.

_-One of these days Tieria…-_ The tone in Lyle's thoughts said he didn't know what to finish the sentence with, but that he wasn't pleased either way. "See you later, Rev." he said, not bothering to send a glance toward the purple-haired princess-Meister as he left. Reverie caught a laugh from Sumeragi's thoughts. At least someone was enjoying the situation.

"We can get started now." The tactical forecaster said, nodding to the Katharon operatives that stood across from her.

Reverie took a place behind the others and pulled back the mental barriers that she'd put in place carefully after running into her stepfather. She didn't want to miss a single thing from any one of the operatives. Lyle may be her friend, but these people weren't, and if they gave her a reason she would wave a red flag. She hoped for his sake that she wouldn't have to.


	7. Safe

AN: Whew! And school starts with a bang. Somehow our cheer team managed to win a speed-eating challenge and still continue throwing stunts in the heat. Either way, a good opening day of school. I even managed to get into a Gundam debate with a friend of mine who says I like the Dylandys purely out of Narcissism. Somehow I doubt that, but she insists that's what it is. Untrue, but a good compliment nonetheless. Who wouldn't want to look like a hot Irishman?

Anyways. This chapter gave me a lot of trouble until I got into the second half of it. I've read through it maybe 10 times but I wouldn't be surprised if there are issues with it that I can't see because my eyes are glazed over in editor-boredom. The second half is written in a very choppy style intentionally. Everyone's stressed, Reverie is convinced she's gonna die, Lyle is pissed, and everyone else seems to be AWOL. It's kind of a strange contrast-chapter as it goes from laid-back to shit hitting the fan. Ribbons is probably drinking tea through the whole thing. Stupid Ribbons. Also, I threw some more enemy mobile suits in the mix. I figure the A-Laws wouldn't send six suits to attack the base if they believed that Celestial Being was helping them out.

Let me know what you think! Thanks to Loguis Scriba for letting me know what they think, and of course thanks to Stormy who keeps me interested in writing this story!

I listened to "Saving Me" by Nickelback for this chapter *is shot*, although it was because my buddy had it on repeat while painting her nails. Strange, I know.

* * *

**Safe**

_"Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil."_

- Aristotle

On Reverie's life list of things to do, confronting Tieria placed somewhere between teasing a bear and drinking arsenic. If she had her way she'd bury her head in the sand and avoid him for the rest of eternity, but she knew that wasn't possible. The meeting had gone well and she was more than happy to report that the Katharon officials were honest in their intentions. It made keeping Lyle's secret much easier, that was certain. To be honest though, she wasn't sure that it _needed_ to be kept. From what she could tell of Sumeragi's thoughts, she knew that there was likely a Katharon mole, and she was fine with it. Strange.

What was even stranger was the look that Tieria gave her when he realized that she was approaching him. She'd expected the full heat of ten suns worth of anger from him, but instead he refused to meet her eyes. "Reverie Traum."

"I'm sorry, Tieria. I shouldn't have hit you." She said. It was true, and even if it had been justified she knew that he didn't deserve it. He was just hard to get along with, that wasn't a crime worthy of a slap.

"What is your report on the meeting." He said, ignoring the topic of her apology altogether. Did he not know how to deal with it? It was obvious from his odd behaviour that he _did_ care about what had happened. She'd go along with it. If Tieria wanted to talk, he would.

"They aren't hiding anything. They're almost naively interested in working with us, with no real expectation of getting anything specific in return other than the standard courtesy of providing backup for one another." She said, putting the feelings of the group into words as well as possible.

"Very well. You may board the shuttle to return to Ptolemy." He said, still not meeting her gaze.

"I'd rather not, if that's alright."

He met her eyes then, but they were confused. "Is there a reason for this?" he questioned, not following her.

"Our identities, Cherudim, and Arios were viewed in great detail by a number of Katharon members. I'd like to stay for a while and make sure that there isn't a threat that this information will be leaked." She said. It was true. If she could have run straight back to Ptolemy and avoided her stepfather she would have, but it wasn't in Celestial Being's best interests.

"I see. I agree that it would be preferable to know if they have spies among them." He deduced simply. "Tell the twin to stay with you." He said, the haughty tone returning to his voice.

"Lyle?" she asked, surprised. She never would have guessed in a million years that Tieria would encourage the two of them to do anything together. It didn't even make sense tactically. Arios would be better suited for leaving the facility, it had a combination of long and short range weaponry that would be better in the event of an attack, its color would blend in better with the desert, and it was much faster than Cherudim. "Why?" she asked. She couldn't help it.

Tieria almost smiled as he met her eyes, the gesture caught her off guard. "He seems to have previous knowledge of the area." He replied, then stepped past her. "_and_ you're least likely to hit him."

Had he just joked? Did slapping him accidentally cross wires in his brain? She looked at him as though she was seeing something completely strange and ridiculous. What should she respond to that? "If you say so."

"I do." He left the hall and exited into the hangar. Reverie stood for a moment in partial shock and followed after him.

Stepping through the hangar doors reminded her that she could hear the droning of the GN particle dispersal systems and she ducked behind the leg of one of the retrofitted Flags that stood there. Unlike the rest of the base, the hangar was partially above ground and it let the distant droning reach her ears. It wasn't bad enough to cause her the usual pain, but she could feel a dull headache starting in the back of her head. She pulled a bottle of mild painkillers from inside her flightsuit and popped the top off it. The painkillers would get rid of the dull pain, but they would also make it difficult for her to pick up on approaching GN drives. There wasn't much chance of a random attack here though, she reasoned. The base had obviously been there for quite a while without incident. She shook two of the pills into her gloved hand and her nose twitched at the idea of having to take them without water. She didn't like the chalky taste of them at all. Oh well. She tilted her head back to drop them onto her tongue.

"Sis?"

She stopped and lowered her hand, looking over to see who the intruder was. There was no way it was her brother, so they were clearly mistaken. She couldn't quite see them yet. "Can I help you?"

"Don't let dad see you taking pills, he doesn't need any help judging you." The figure stepped around the leg of the Flag and Reverie's breath caught in her throat.

"_Deiter_!?"

_Her brother?_ She hurriedly dropped the pills back in their bottle and slipped it away. God had he ever changed. The last time she'd seen him he'd been just shy of his fifteenth birthday and he looked more like a child than a man. Now? She wasn't sure she would have recognized him. He towered over her, he must have been at least as tall as Allelujah or Lyle. His blonde hair fell in a pin-straight angular bob-cut that would have made Tieria jealous, and his blue-grey eyes were laughing at her shocked expression. "When did you grow up!?"

"Well, someone had to get dad away from the bottle after you left." He quipped. They'd always shared the same sarcasm, just as they shared their slate-blue eyes that were more grey than anything. "Come on, you really thought that I wouldn't have changed at all in the last three years? I'm eighteen now." He said, answering the question that she'd been trying to formulate. She didn't respond but instead flung herself at her younger sibling, surprised when her feet had to leave the ground to hug him.

"God I missed you!" she exclaimed before yelping as he swung her around in a full circle.

"I guess _I'm_ the one who has to spin _you_ around now." He said as he set her back on her feet.

"No kidding…who did you pay off to grow that fast?" she asked, her surprise finally dying.

"Well, our father was a giant, remember? Come on, you're a giraffe compared to most women."

"True." She muttered. She took a deep breath, then looked up at him in shock as a new, heavier question formed. "You're with Katharon." She stated more than asked.

"You're with Celestial Being." He replied. It was a good retort if she'd ever heard one.

"But you're still a kid!" she said, her anger was secretly starting to flare as she realized that her stepfather had something to do with it.

_-Oh crap.-_

"Karen, he's changed." He said, knowing what she was thinking. He didn't need her mind-reading ability to understand people…ever since he was a child he'd had an unspoken ability to understand what was going on inside someone else's head. If he would have been on the AEU ship instead of her that day, he probably wouldn't have noticed much of a difference. He lived in other's heads without screwed-up brainwaves.

"How much could he have changed? He brought you into _Katharon_!" she said with a bit more force than was necessary.

"He didn't do that, Karen. I came here on my own, he was just the one who told me how to join." He said, his greyish eyes seeming to laugh at the idea that the older man could influence him. "Dad needed this…it keeps him away from the bottle. We both know that he's a different person without it."

"Don't call him that." Reverie spat. "That man hasn't been close to a father to either of us."

"Can we expect him to be one if we don't treat him like one?" Deiter asked, having too much wisdom to be her younger brother. She knew better than to push the subject with him, he'd always seen something in the man that she never could. Of course, rage blinders were hard to see through.

"What about mom?" she asked, trying to change topics as much as she could.

"She left him." He said. "I don't blame her of course, but she's safe, if that's what you mean. She's travelling, trying to do all the things she couldn't do when we were around. You know, middle-age stuff." He said, somehow bringing the topic onto a lighter course. "She doesn't know about our attachment to Katharon."

"Well, at least he was smart enough to keep that to himself." She muttered. Deiter looker up as someone approached.

"What exactly is 'middle-age stuff'?" Reverie didn't have to turn to know it was Lyle. "I figure I should know…I'll be getting there in ten years or so." He stopped next to her, helmet slung carelessly under his arm. _–Tieria sent me over, apparently we're staying?- _She nodded.

Deiter laughed. "I doubt you'll ever be a victim of middle-age, sir." He said.

"Sir?" Reverie questioned, looking from the Meister to her smirking brother.

"Karen, it isn't hard to imagine that you know about Gene One." Deiter said matter-of-factly, tapping a finger to his head to indicate her abilities. "He's the one who I keep trying to catch up to." He watched Reverie for a few moments before smiling. "See? You aren't surprised at all. You knew."

"Trying to catch up to?" Reverie asked, ignoring his comment about her level of surprise. She didn't like the glances the two men were sending each other. It felt like she was playing monkey in the middle.

"Yes, catch up to. He's Gene One, and he graciously gave me the title _Gene Two_. He also graciously keeps reminding me that I've got a lot of work to do if I want to match his mobile suit kill score and firing ability."

Her brother was a _pilot_? Of course, it suited him. He'd always wanted to be one for the AEU, why should this surprise her?

Lyle laughed. "Well, have you matched either of them yet?"

"No." Deiter faux-pouted. "Then again, I just have to wait for you to kick the bucket and I'll be number one. How many feet do you have in the grave? One or one and a half?" the younger man joked, picking on the Meister's age.

"Didi" Reverie said, using her brother's pet name. "You're making _me_ feel old. If you keep it up you'll be face-down in the grave, with no feet to speak of." She narrowed her eyes in mock-anger. She couldn't stay mad at her brother and she knew it was useless to try. He was a member of Katharon. It suited him.

"Yes ma'am!" he said, mock saluting.

Reverie looked at Lyle next. "What exactly _is_ your kill score, _Gene One_?" Gene One. Lockon Stratos. Lyle Dylandy. It was a miracle that he knew who he was.

"Do you want before or after Celestial Being? I've added a few since then." He said, raising a confident eyebrow.

Deiter sighed and shook his head. "Sometimes I can't believe that you two are older than me." Just then his paging device beeped and he looked down at it. It was strange to see such an out-dated piece of equipment, but it was probably all that would work in the building. "I've gotta go, time to run maintenance on my Enact."

"They have you piloting an Enact?" Reverie said, feeling sisterly nervousness in her stomach.

"Of course. It's the one I defected with." He said matter-of-factly.

"You _defected_!?" _That_ was bad news. It meant that as long as the Federation was in place he could never leave Katharon. He could never live a normal life. Anywhere. His name was in a database of defectors. She'd been fortunate enough to avoid that…according to her file she'd escaped while under the influence of heavy medication. _That_ was forgivable, defecting was not.

"Not all of us can claim insanity, Karen. I made a choice and I'd choose it again if I had to. I'll be around in the hangar." He said as he turned to leave. He stopped and turned back, looking at Lyle. "Give her the code for my mobile suit. Being able to watch it on-screen will make her feel better…trust me." He said. Lyle nodded and they watched the blonde jog away.

"So we're staying for a while?" Lyle said, breaking the silence and drawing Reverie's attention away from the jogging form of her brother. They made their way towards Cherudim, neither one really knowing why.

She nodded. "Tieria wants me to listen in and see if we should be worried about anyone leaking our identities or information about the mobile suits."

"And he actually let us work together?" he was skeptical, it was definitely a surprise.

She nodded. "I have no idea what happened to him, but that slap seems to have rewired him somehow."

"I'll bet, I half expected his head to spin around." He absentmindedly flipped his helmet in one hand with surprising ease as he spoke. "What's the plan then?"

Pain.

Out of nowhere.

Lots and lots of pain. Reverie grabbed her head and hit the ground, the thick flightsuit cushioning her fall.

"Reverie!" A strong hand on her arm helped her back up, a second on the small of her back kept her steady. Her hands grabbed fistfuls of Lyle's flightsuit and she buried her face in his chest. She didn't know how many were coming, but there were Pseudo GN drives on the way. "What's wrong!?" he said, worried.

"GN Drives!" she said, shaking as the full force of the approaching drives hit her brainwaves. She looked up at him urgently. "You have launch Cherudim! There's GN Drives on their way here!"

Lyle nodded. A tiny amount of relief washed over her when he believed her without question. She felt him slip an arm around her to support her weight as he covered the remaining distance to the green and white Gundam. The droning was getting louder.

"Open the hatch! There's mobile suits approaching!" Lyle snapped at a group of men who were off to the left.

"What!?" one said.

"Mobile suits! I don't know whose. Get your pilots ready!" he yelled, the force of his voice making Reverie's lungs shake. The men nodded and shot off in different directions, one yelling the alarm into his radio. Reverie felt Lyle crush her against him when he reached the stirrup of Cherudim's dismount cable but she shook her head and pushed away from him.

"No! I'll get in your way!" she said, taking a knee again once she left his supportive hold.

"I can't leave you here!"

"Of course you can! I'll be fine. Go stop those suits from getting here!" she snapped. He looked at her for a long moment before cursing and boarding the Gundam. She knew she didn't have to tell him to alert Ptolemy. She had no way to know that telling him she'd be fine would later turn out to be morbidly wrong.

She took a deep breath as Cherudim's GN drive powered up and blocked out the pain for a few seconds. She wanted to hug the leg of the machine and never leave the range of the pain-relieving song, but she knew she couldn't do that. The wind of Cherudim taking off made her shield her face. _–I'm sorry, Rev-_

She didn't care. She couldn't be in the cockpit with him, not when she'd be falling all over the place and screaming. Once enough pseudo drives showed up she had no doubt Cherudim's drive wouldn't numb the pain anymore. She stumbled to her feet and clumsily ran for the hangar wall. She had to get out of the way of the mobile suits as they exited. She stumbled to the ground as she reached the wall and held her head, yelling. She'd never felt pain like this. There were too many to count. Her head was exploding with pain and her stomach was twisting in worry for Lyle. One Gundam against a group of pseudo drives? What if she'd just sent him to his death? Could she live with that?

She didn't know. She'd never been responsible for someone's death before. She'd never taken a life either directly or indirectly. What would she do if her friend was the first person she'd killed? The thought combined with the pain made her sick and she yelled through her teeth.

The other Meisters had to get there. Fast.

* * *

Cherudim shot out of the underground hangar in a flash and Lyle took a sharp breath. There was an entire three-ship unit coming towards him. Could he hold off that many? He had to try. He shot towards them, hoping that he could start the fight before they reached the Katharon base. The farther from it the better. He'd already gotten through to Sumeragi but she couldn't give him an estimate of how long it would take for Arios and Seravee to get there. He was on his own until then.

The ships began launching their mobile suits as soon as he came in range of their radar. Luckily this meant that they hadn't seen where he'd launched from. Haro gave him an update of how quickly they were launching but he tuned the bot out. No amount of information could delay the inevitable overpowering of his suit. He pulled the GN Pistols from Cherudim's thruster pack and started shooting.

One after the other. Hit, hit, hit, miss, hit, hit, curse, hit. He could feel his entire body humming with Adrenaline. If it were any other situation he'd be loving it, but not with his comrades underground, the women, the children. He breathed a short sigh of relief as the assortment of Flags and Enacts started launching behind him. It gave him a split-second to switch to the GN Submachine gun. The blasts from the massive weapon produced an array of explosions on the horizon as suit after suit exploded, his aim far more accurate than normal. Of course, he had no choice. It had to be better.

More suits launched. Ten, no, _twenty_ more suits, Haro informed him. The ship to the left sent a barrage of missiles in his direction and he had to stop firing and shoot away from them. Should he use his eight missiles now? No. He dropped to the surface of the sand and shot the missiles one after the other. The heat of the sand made half of them lose sight of their target and they exploded in brown clouds of dust as they hit the desert around him. He rose back into the air, the force of his directional change sending up a sand-wall that sent a tailing mobile suit exploding into the surface below.

The suits were pushing him back, slowly but surely. They were getting closer and closer to the base. He'd taken down eight, Haro informed him. That was still twenty or so too few. He launched the missiles. All eight locked onto their targets and shot forward, hitting limbs and cockpits and sending four more A-Laws pilots to the sands below.

He couldn't let them get past him.

The center ship begged to differ. He saw the gun charging a second before it fired. A second too late. It tore up the desert surface in a straight line, turning half the sand to glass and tearing the ceiling of Katharon's hangar to pieces, the unsupported structure collapsed in on itself and gave away its exact location.

"DAMMIT!" he yelled, punching the arm of his seat. Now he was ready to go into overdrive. "TRANS-AM!" he yelled. He needed the speed. Anything to stop the steadily-approaching mobile suits.

Anything to protect the people who were below him.

* * *

Reverie screamed so hard that her throat felt like it had ripped. The second the ceiling had caved in the droning noise had reached the highest whine she'd ever heard. She'd taken four of the painkillers in a moment of clarity, but she was still minutes away from them taking effect. She lay on her back, squirming and writhing, her hands woven into her hair and crushed over her ears as she tried to block the noise.

Several flashes of red shot across the sky above her. A-Laws mobile suits. They'd gotten past Lyle. She screamed again as one flew slowly past the opened roof of the hangar and dropped something with a series of equally-spaced _thuds_. A massive reverberating crash followed as the offending mobile suit itself slammed into the concrete floor of the hangar and ripped it apart. It had lost power, the pseudo GN drive barely able to spit out its orange-red particles. Reverie watched through tear-blurred eyes as the cockpit opened and the pilot stuck his head out. He disappeared back into the suit once a metallic whirring started. _–Oh shit, the Automatons. I can't let them see my heat signature…the cockpit is my safest bet.-_

She rolled onto her side and looked around the destroyed hangar space, the painkillers finally taking effect. It was a blur but she forced her shock away and focused. Steel boxes stuck out of the sand everywhere, evenly spaced. That was what the powerless suit had dropped before it fell. Reverie got to her feet as quickly as possible. If the pilot was scared of whatever those things were, she knew she had to be too. She was the only one in her area, the others presumably on the other side of the pile of debris. She ran as fast as she could, skidding to a halt as she reached a hallway. She slipped into it and whipped around another corner, hiding in the unlit corridor as well as she could.

She could hear shooting now, and screaming. So much screaming. It was in her head and in her ears. People were dying. People were praying to unseen gods as their lives slipped away, begging for the safety of families, friends, lovers. They were running from robots. Robots which were making the metallic whirring sound that she was hearing. She flattened herself against the wall as she heard one enter the hall that she'd found. It was around the corner. She held her breath. Her heartbeat had never sounded so loud in her life. _Heat signature_. She praised Tieria as she realized that the flightsuit that she was wearing was blocking the majority of her bodyheat from radiating out and signalling her position. She prayed that her face wasn't a large enough source to trip the machine's targeting system.

It turned the corner and she slipped into a door way, shoving herself into the corner of it as much as possible.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

Her heartbeat was loud in her ears. She realized then that the screaming had died down.

Until a scream tore from her own throat.

_BOOM!_

The ceiling above her disappeared, paneling and concrete and sand falling all around and crushing the robot. Had she not been squished into the reinforced doorway she would have been crushed with it. Her legs were buried by the sand that was pouring into the hall and she screamed again. She couldn't be buried alive. There was no way she could die like that.

The whirring started again and her eyes grew so wide she thought they'd leave the sockets. Every hair stood on end, and every muscle in her body shook with fear. Her breath caught in her throat so hard she would have choked if her body could remember how to make the motion. The falling debris had brought one of the automatons with it and its single red camera stared her down. This was it.

_CRASH!_

Then it was gone.

Green and white. A pillar. A shape. Her eyes weren't registering anything. She stopped hearing anything but a dull tone, the kind she'd heard after explosions on the grenade range. She didn't see the sand and ceiling falling further around her, nor did she realize that she couldn't feel the droning pain in her head. She just stared at the strange green and white tower in front of her until something that her mind mildly recognized as a giant hand reached down. A giant hand? It was ridiculous. So funny. There weren't giant hands. Only little hands, like hers.

Or giant hands like Gundams had.

Gundam.

Green and white.

Cherudim. It was Cherudim in front of her. The pillar was its leg, the automaton crushed underneath it. This revelation shattered her shock. The sounds of the slaughter around her returned in a wave. Automatons. Death. Screaming. _Chaos_. She had to get out of there. She tried to move her legs but she was stuck. She looked down. She was buried up to her waist. She was stuck there!

Wait.

All her thoughts were coming to her in a jumbled mess.

Her flightsuit. It was too big for her.

She gasped as she realized it was her way out. She unzipped it as far as she could and planted her hands in the sand around her. She wriggled and pushed, slipping inch-by-inch out of the oversized white suit. Her waist was free, then her thighs, then her knees. With one final heave she pulled herself free and tumbled forward into Cherudim's waiting left hand. She gripped the hot metal index finger of the Gundam with all the power she had left in her body.

It shot off the ground and she felt like she was on the end of a bungee cord as the Gundam whipped into the air. She wrapped her legs around the digit as firmly as she could, although it was too big for her to get around. Her cheek was pressed to the hot metal surface and she squeezed her eyes shut as she held on for dear life. Firm pressure crushed against her back and she realized that the suit's thumb was holding her in place. She didn't care that it had the potential to squash her like a bug, right now she was relieved by the straining pressure in her chest. If she could barely breathe then the increasing G-force of the Gundam spinning and ducking wouldn't tear her away from it. It was trying to, though.

She opened her eyes. She was easily a thousand feet above the surface of the sand, the destroyed Katharon base far below her. Flags and Enacts whipped around below her, like birds hovering to catch bugs. She could see the orange-red telltale sign of a set of mobile suits approaching and she had to close her eyes again as Cherudim suddenly dropped to avoid them. If she hadn't still been partially in shock she would have thrown up. The suit continued, this-way and that. She could hear the pulsing of the GN Submachine gun as it fired over and over again.

_-A-LAWS! YOU SCUM!-_ She heard Lyle, but at the same time she didn't. He sounded a million miles away as she clung to his Gundam's hand. She closed her eyes and focused on the sound of the Gundam's drives. _Find the melody._ She thought. It washed over her, soothing her, taking away the stress of her situation. She continued to hold on as she tried to drown everything else out.

Finally, Cherudim stopped and hung in the air. Hung until it slowly descended to the surface. She continued to hold on with her full-body death-grip. She was terrified. She held on even when the hand had been laid flat on the ground and as she heard the Gundam's cockpit open.

The shock was back.

Terror. Sheer terror. She was numb with fear. She'd almost died more times in the last five minutes than she could count. She heard a whimper leave her mouth but she didn't remember making the sound. She just held onto the Gundam's finger and trembled.

"_Reverie!"_

The voice was familiar but so far away, speaking to her through a wall or door, muffled. A large hand slipped around her wrist, pulling at her hand and almost pleading for her to come down. "_Reverie, it's over, come down. I'm here."_

Lyle?

She didn't know quite when she let go of the finger but she knew that it was because her body couldn't hold on anymore. She slid off it and heavily into strong arms. She panicked at the feeling of falling again. She crushed herself against the familiar form of her friend. Arms, legs, whatever she could use to cling to him. Her whole body shuddered.

"Shhh."

A hand on her head, fingers running through her hair. "It's alright. It's over now."

She looked up at him with eyes full of bewilderment and fear. "It's over?" she asked, not recognizing the shaking, scared voice that left her throat.

He nodded, eyes warm but sad, almost angry. They weren't angry at her. They were angry for the countless bodies that lay in the place where she'd almost died. His friends. She felt tears start welling in her eyes. They were hot as they poured down her face and they pooled against her cheek as she buried her face against his shoulder.

Clinging to him with Cherudim's GN Drive in the background and his soothing voice in her ears, Reverie felt something that minutes ago she was sure she'd never feel again.

Safe.

* * *

Let me know what you think!

I'm going to go draw Chibi-Ribbons drinking tea now.


	8. Keeper of Secrets

AN: Here's the next one! This took me a while as school has now started and I've been thrown headlong into the most crazy schedule I've had yet. That's what I get for being a bit of an overachiever though. I surprisingly dislike the conversations between Reverie and Deiter, but they're necessary for chapters much later on in the story.

Thanks to Kate for letting me know what you think! I've been sticking to cannon so far, but as the story progresses I'll be making some major-ish changes, although it'll stay with canon for the most part. As for the pairing, Lyle/Anew will still be happening. I've written out a few different plotlines for how this will all work out, and I think that Anew developed Lyle's character too much for her to be removed. Reverie will have to suck it up for quite a few chapters. I don't necessarily like Anew, but I think it's because she wasn't developed very much and I wasn't able to bond with her character as much as the others. I'm planning on keeping her in-character though, and I'm firmly avoiding the 'turn the canon love interest into a jealous b**ch' storyline that so many OC writers seem to enjoy. Anew is a nice person, I'm going to keep her that way. This being said, I think the Lyle/Rev pairing will really only be solidified in later chapters, although there'll be lots of groundwork for it in the beginning. So much potential angst to work with. Thank-you so much for your review and input, and I'm glad that the story interests you even though it's not complete!

And of course thanks to my mystery guest (Stormy *cough*) who gave me the necessary criticism to fix the last chapter, as well as Logius Scriba for their input as well!

As a mini-sidenote, whenever I write a thought like this: _-this is a thought-_ it is always whomever Reverie is listening to. Her thoughts are always implied through the text or are written in italics without the hyphens surrounding them.

Also a mini-sidenote, in my head I have implied pairings that are slowly revealed. So far I've suggested a one-sided Neil/Tieria, and Halle/Sumeragi. If you don't like that one, blame Omnicat...they've convinced me of it. Let's be honest, Sumeragi is destructive enough to go with it.

I listened to "Funhouse" by pink for the first part, and "Casual Sex" by My Darkest Days for Sumeragi's part. Odd, I know.

* * *

**Keeper of Secrets**

_"A man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides."_

_- Andre Malraux_

"You could have _killed_ her!" Tieria snapped. He was livid. The twin stood in front of him, indignant and irritated as ever. What had he been thinking? Picking up a normal human with a Gundam? Even Allelujah's body would have issues with that kind of abuse.

"And leaving her to be target practice for an automaton and buried alive was a better option!?" The Irish Meister demanded.

"A better one than whipping her around a thousand feet in the air and possibly crushing her to death! What if you'd shattered her ribcage? Do you know how many pounds per square inch the Cherudim's thumb is capable of applying!?"

"Haro had it under control! She's fine, it didn't happen."

"She's _not_ fine."

The twin clenched his jaw in frustration but didn't retort. His eyes were narrowed in anger and his body was tense but Tieria didn't give a damn. A week ago Tieria wouldn't have cared about the girl's safety so much, but after reviewing her AEU medical files and comparing them with the information gathered on her by the doctor, he was realizing just how irreplaceable she was. Irreplaceable and certainly _not_ fine. She'd been curled up against Arios' foot for the last hour and a half, begging Allelujah to keep the GN drive running and flinching when anyone came near. She refused her sedatives and didn't want to sleep, but at the same time she was exhausted and unable to function. It was pointless and frustrating.

Finally the twin sighed. "She's not fine, but she's _alive_."

"Alive and completely useless." Tieria replied shortly.

"She's not _useless_, she's in _shock_. There's a difference." The twin said, his voice rising again. Tieria disliked the feeling that the taller Meister was looking down on him but he wouldn't let it deter his anger. He wouldn't be intimidated.

"_Shock_ is supposed to wear off twenty minutes after a traumatic event!" Tieria retorted, the two of them were face – to - face and getting angrier the longer they looked at one another.

"Tieria, she's _human._"

He stopped, his anger halted. Those words. Just like that. The same tone, the same look, the same _face._ "Lockon…"

He wished he could take the name back the second he uttered it.

Not Lockon. The twin. The other Lockon. _The fake_. He looked up at the Meister. He was staring down at him in confusion, but the second their eyes met something flashed behind the twin's blue-green ones. Recognition. A different type of anger followed. He turned away.

"Don't talk to me about shock when you're the one stuck riding the aftershocks of my brother's death." He muttered under his breath and walked away, slipping a cigarette between his lips.

Tieria wanted to be mad, he wanted to shout at him and chastise him for implying that he hadn't moved on but he couldn't. How could he move on when he didn't know what it meant? It was easy for the twin to walk away and curse him like that. Like the terrified girl on Arios' foot he was human. He _knew_ what it meant to move on. What could Tieria do? There was no level of VEDA that told him how to cope with the loss of someone that had been so important to him. In fact, there was no one on board Ptolemy who could except for the man that walked away from him…the constant reminder of his pain. That made him curse out loud and stalk away, back to the crowd that had gathered at the Katharon base. He would never ask that man to teach him the meaning of 'move on'. He may not have been human enough to know how to do it, but he _was_ human enough to have pride, and human enough to hold a grudge.

It was his pride that made him snap at a set of men who were standing around and doing nothing to help the recovery effort.

* * *

Arios' GN drive sung a soft melody in Reverie's head. Leaning against its foot was uncomfortable, but it was a product of the ache that was starting to throb throughout her whole body, not a result of the Gundam itself. The screaming and yelling of all those who had died that day was stuck in her head. Male or female, young or old, Katharon or A-Laws, all of it. She'd gotten over the shock of the automatons, the pain of the pseudo drives, and almost being buried alive. She'd even gotten past the swirling ripcord terror effect of being in Cherudim's hand, yet as she watched body after body be laid out and zipped away in a black bag she couldn't shake the voices. Hours earlier these people's voices had been filling her head with eager thoughts of the Gundams and the business of everyday life. Now they couldn't think anymore, using their remaining seconds to fill Reverie's head with their echoing screams. Arios' drive was the only thing keeping the onslaught of echoing thoughts at bay, and Reverie's pride hadn't been strong enough to stop her from clinging to Allelujah, begging him to keep the orange and white machine running. He'd nodded softly and told her that it was alright, she didn't need to plead with him, he'd do it. Even Hallelujah remained uncharacteristically silent, as though he knew she wouldn't feel the impact of any of his quick remarks.

After Cherudim had landed outside of the destruction zone Reverie had refused to let go of Lyle until Arios joined them and Allelujah had met them in a strange panic, first-aid kit in hand. She'd listened to Hallelujah accurately guess that her damage couldn't be fixed with bandages, but she'd let him apply one to her forehead anyways. She and Allelujah had built a strange friendship, almost like the friendship one would expect between children. He reminded her of her brother. Not the joking tall man that she'd met again a few hours earlier, but the one that she'd left behind when her family had fallen apart. The gentle fourteen-year-old who was aged beyond his years, too silent and too smart for his own good. She suspected that Allelujah was aware of it to some extent but he didn't seem to mind. Instead he acted along, playing the part of brother. When she'd seen him awkwardly holding the first-aid kit she'd finally let go of Lyle. No amount of band-aids or soft words could stop the resonating screams in her head, though.

"Sir, you can't go over there, Celestia-!" The voice made her look up. After a brief standoff between some Katharon members and Tieria the two groups had stood separately, working on cleaning up different areas of the base.

"Verpiss Dich! I'll go where I damn well please, boy, and right now that's to see my daughter."

Her blood flared hot as she heard her stepfather's voice. There was no way she could deal with him now, not like this. She exhaled and pressed her cheek to the orange metal of Arios' foot and closed her eyes, not wanting to be a part of the conversation – _fight _– that was about to happen. Heavy boots stopped inches from her feet.

"You can't even stand when your father comes to speak to you?" he demanded, speaking English this time around, which was strange. She looked up at him, glaring daggers as intensely as she knew how.

"My father doesn't come to speak to me anymore because he'd _dead_." She said, her tone indicating how little she cared about the conversation at hand. Hearing screaming, dying voices wasn't the best way to put someone in an understanding mood.

"Your _father_ wouldn't _want_ to speak to you if he knew the truth about you." He said. The sneer in his voice at the word 'father' made her jaw clench in anger.

"I think I've forgotten what that was, please enlighten me." She sighed, biting back a groan as she stood. Her body hadn't responded well to being whipped around during her rescue.

"You're the one who caused this!" he snapped suddenly, his voice raising as he enunciated the English words. He got his desired response, several heads snapping around to stare at her.

"And when did I bring this about? Was it before or after I was almost shot by Automatons or buried alive?" The ass. He wanted attention, and he knew that the Katharon members were looking for someone to blame.

"You tell me, _mind reader_." He snapped.

She stifled a laugh, then chuckled, then burst into hysteria. It hurt her offended muscles but she couldn't stop. He'd never believed that she could actually hear people's thoughts. He'd been the one to decide that she was addicted to opiates and hallucinogens and he'd been the one to convince her mother that she was lying to them all.

"Don't laugh, do you know how many people died here today!?"

Her chuckle stopped abruptly as she stretched to look him in the eye. '_Of course I do, they're still dying in my head, still praying and begging and bleeding all over my brain.' _She wanted to say. Would she give him the satisfaction? No. He didn't deserve to know what she was hearing or feeling.

He didn't deserve a response.

She stared him down with empty, lazy eyes. "Of course I do. Do you?"

_-My friends, my comrades, how dare she!- _his mind snapped. He'd never been one for intelligent thoughts or useful ideas. Unless of course he was ripping their family apart.

"Get out of here with your pathetic sense of indignation. I don't have time to listen to the whining of an attention-starved _brat_." She said, stepping past him and taking long strides away from him without a destination.

"You know, if your father saw you like this I bet he'd want to die all over again."

She snapped. She whipped around in anger. "How can you be selfish enough to talk about family problems now, when dozens are mourning their own!? Look around you. How can you use death as an insult when all around you fathers, sisters, lovers, brothers…when they're all being pulled out of the ground?"

He stared at her in shock, looking infrequently at his comrades around him.

"_Can't you hear them screaming?_" she demanded. "Can't you hear loved ones screaming around you as their families are pulled out of the rubble? I can. They can." She tilted her head to the small group around them. "My father may be dead, but I'm fortunate. I'm not feeling the tearing pain that all of those around us are. Before you throw around those insults so carelessly you should think of those outside of your narrow problems!"

"Are you saying I don't care about what happened here!?" he demanded.

"Karen!" Her brother's voice piped up from the crowd but she ignored it.

"I'm saying that you don't care enough to have the decency to put your issues aside. I hate you. I hate you with every fiber of my body, but that doesn't matter now. Look around you! Do these people care that we have issues? No. They don't. Nothing matters right now other than honouring and mourning the dead."

"_Karen!_" Deiter said, finally reaching her. _–Let it go. Don't waste your time.-_ he thought, clearly wanting to stay out of their standoff.

"Don't worry, I am." She said. She started to follow her brother's tugging, but she stopped and looked back at her stepfather. "If you let anything happen to Deiter though…I won't walk away this easily."

"Karen, stop it. Leave me out of it." Deiter almost pleaded, dragging her along. Her stepfather stood in a mix of shock and anger, not moving and not retorting. Good. She didn't want to hear him speak. Her brother sighed. "Are you done? Are you alright?"

"I'm done with him, if that's what you mean. And I'm fine." The first response was as true as could be, and the second one…she wasn't sure. Was it a lie? Maybe.

"Good. Someone said they saw you almost get shot by an Automaton?" he questioned. She suddenly noticed the gauze that was wrapped securely over three-quarters of his arm, and the sling that held it securely to his body. His leather jacket had been cut away, now having one sleeve missing. As she looked closer she realized that the fabric had deep brown singe marks.

"Didi! What happened!?" she said with alarm, staring at the damaged limb.

_-Here we go…- _"Oh this?" he laughed, rubbing the back of his head with his good arm. "Not much, my Enact got shot down and one of the control panels exploded."

"_Not much!?_ Didi, you could have been killed!" She said, stepping around him to see the damage to his back and swatting away his protesting good hand.

He laughed at her response. "Karen, I could die any day. The miracle is that I don't."

She huffed in annoyance. Leave it to her brother to say something like that. The damage wasn't as bad as it looked, he was right. As she peeked under the edge of one of the strips she realized that it was actually a minor burn and not the massive injury that it looked like on the surface. "Fine. Just remember, if you get yourself killed…"

"I know, you'll beat me so hard I'll come back to life."

"Good." She couldn't help but grin as he raised an eyebrow in his characteristic lopsided grin. His grin faded as he looked over her shoulder.

"Reverie Traum."

She turned to face Tieria. His voice had lost some level of the commanding presence that it had had before the attack on Katharon. Was he alright? "Tieria."

"The shuttle has returned, we're returning to Ptolemy."

"Alright." She said, upset by the idea of leaving her brother so quickly.

"Looks like that's my cue to leave. Don't be a stranger, Karen." Deiter said, smiling down at her and ruffling her hair. "And you take care of her." He said to the purple-haired Meister. Surprisingly, Tieria didn't respond but simply nodded. She watched as her brother stalked away towards a group of Katharon pilots who were helping with the rescue efforts. It unnerved her to see him go.

It wasn't until she and Tieria returned to the shuttle in silence that she realized something.

The screaming voices had stopped.

* * *

_Five hours later_

Tieria, Ian, and Shia stood in the infirmary. Reverie had been sedated the minute she'd boarded the shuttle and was now resting comfortably in one of the recovery units. With the threat of the A-Laws return hanging over their heads they couldn't risk the ships' gunner being out of commission. She'd agreed. One recovery unit over was Sumeragi, who had fainted after seeing the destruction brought on by the attack.

They weren't discussing their next course of action however. Instead, they were discussing the use of Reverie's abilities. Tieria had come up with a tentative plan, but it was thoroughly reliant on the cooperation of the two men who stood before him.

"Is that really something that we can do?" Shia, the medic asked, serious doubt on his face. "I know what kind of pain this little firecracker is in when those drives are nearby. That's not a humane suggestion."

"If she gives her permission, I don't see why it would be an issue. I know how much pain she's in as well, I've read the file. She will feel the pain either way, whether she agrees or not. As long as she's part of Celestial Being she won't be able to escape the pseudo GN drives. _That_ is my reasoning."

Ian sighed and flipped through the electronic file in front of him. "I think it's something I could do, but I'm not sure it's entirely safe for her body…"

"Which is why Shia Mazarenco is here as well." Tieria replied, looking between the medic and the engineer.

"I can't guarantee her safety either. Really, we won't know until the system is created and she's done a trial run." Shia said, agreeing with the engineer. "I'm willing to do it if she agrees after reading through all the information."

"And you?" Tieria asked, looking at Ian.

He sighed. "I'm willing to draw up some designs for the system, but until she says she's willing to go through with it I won't start production."

That was all he needed. "Fine. I'll discuss it with her when the sedatives wear off. Please gather your information accordingly." He replied. As long as he had the grudging agreement of the medic and engineer he could move forward. He nodded curtly to the set of them as he left.

The idea had come to him when he'd watched Reverie beg Allelujah to keep Arios running. Obviously the GN drives had a positive effect on her, to the point where she clung to the war machines when traumatized. The opposite was also true. Being within any close physical proximity of one of the pseudo drives left her screaming in pain and if it was strong enough she could kill the power of the machines, as discovered by the AEU when they'd connected her with one of the red-shooting drives.

What Tieria wanted to do was the opposite. He wanted to connect her to Ptolemy's two GN drives. If she agreed to do that there was the possibility that her abilities could be amplified. They'd be able to sense enemy ships approaching much sooner, and they'd be fighting against enemies who weren't able to access full power. Cowardly though it seemed, if the Gundams were going to be fighting battles like they had four years ago they'd need all the help they could get. Of course, the moral aspect of the possible plan was its major downfall.

They had no idea what it would do to Reverie.

He flicked through the file before him one more time before closing it and stopping in front of the recovering girl's bed.

"_Tieria, she's human."_

The words of both brothers were in his head as he watched her chest rise and fall. How could two people who were so different chastise him in the same way? Both Neil and his twin had reminded him of something so basic. Something he didn't quite understand. Human. Because she was human he couldn't make decisions for her.

He'd tried to make a decision for a human before. God, how hard he'd tried. His jaw clenched as he thought about how frustrated he'd been when Lockon had refused to stay in the recovery unit. He'd been so angry that he'd wanted to strike him, shake him, and demand to know why he was being so foolish. He couldn't though. Not when the one-eyed Meister had smiled warmly and assured them all that he'd be fine. Of course they were all willing to believe him. Did anyone really believe that someone like him could be taken from them? The one whose smile held enough warmth for all of them?

He'd tried to stop him when he'd locked him out of the hangar. He remembered how the one blue-green eye stared through the glass, determined and angry but still full of understanding.

He'd tried to make a decision for Lockon and he'd failed. Of course he had. Not even the full force of nature could have stopped the Irishman from doing anything he wanted to.

Except staying alive.

Reverie stirred and turned on her side, grabbing at her pillow ferociously and shaking. She was dreaming. Her expression said it wasn't pleasant at all. As he watched her he suddenly felt like he was watching something that he shouldn't have been privy to, like he was spying.

He shook his head to remove the ridiculous thought, then left.

He wouldn't make this decision for her, it wasn't possible. He would make sure she strongly considered it, though. That was the best he could do.

* * *

6 a.m. Next Morning

Reverie sighed against the painful protests that her body gave her as she sorted the remaining contents of her meal tray into the various dirty dish stations. She'd woken up an hour earlier, hours after Tieria had basically tranquilized her on the shuttle back from the Katharon base. Her head ached and Shia had informed her that she'd taken a knee to the back of the head. Apparently Tieria hadn't expected the sedative to work so quickly and hadn't been prepared to catch her, leaving Setsuna to stop her from smashing her head off a console. He'd stopped her collision course alright, with an unbelievably hard knee. "Knees are softer than steel consoles." He'd said when they crossed paths in the hallway. She took it as an apology. For Setsuna to bring something like it up out of the blue was out of character, so it must have been his blunt explanation for the throbbing in the back of her head. Regardless of how it had started she wasn't very impressed with it.

She left the cafeteria once the tray was sorted and headed towards her room. She needed a shower and she needed to change into her properly-fitted uniform. The pants that Tieria had made her wear felt strange and uncomfortable. More than that she wanted to put her hair back up in its usual braid…it had been getting in her face for the majority of the day. The ship was starting to stir with the thoughts of those who were just waking up and there was barely anyone else walking the halls. Setsuna seemed to keep strange hours so she hadn't been surprised to cross paths with him, but she hadn't seen anyone other than Michaud, the young, rambunctious chef. She hadn't even seen Tieria, not that she minded terribly.

_-They haven't found him yet…God they need to. I can't sleep knowing that he could be hurt somewhere, possibly lost at the bottom of the ocean. What if he's….No! I can't think like that. He'll be fine, he always is…-_

Reverie looked up, not entirely sure where the thoughts were coming from. They belonged to Sumeragi, but she couldn't see the forecaster in the immediate area. She stopped and listened, trying to find out where she was exactly.

_-always fine, he's always fine. What if he's not this time? Cherudim and Seravee need to check in, if only to keep me sane…-_

Wait. Cherudim, Seravee, and Setsuna was on board. _Allelujah?_ The forecaster turned the corner ahead of Reverie and looked up in surprise, not expecting to meet someone else so early.

"Reverie, you're up early." She said. _–The sun hasn't even risen yet…-_

"My sedatives wore off." She replied. "Is it Allelujah?" she asked. It was too early in the morning to tiptoe around conversations.

Sumeragi bristled and nodded. "Yes. He went missing when we were mixed up in the skirmish with the A-Laws."

The fight with the A-Laws? Right. She'd been knocked out through the whole thing. She'd been knocked out much longer than usual due to Tieria's massive dosage of the sedatives. Of course she couldn't blame him, if they hadn't knocked her out in under a minute he probably would have been the victim of a violent outburst. Even now she could tell that she needed to either beat something or shoot something. Dealing with her stepfather had ensured that. Now Allelujah was missing. Somehow she didn't think that the tension in her shoulders would let up any time soon.

"And Tieria and Lyle are looking for him? What about Setsuna?" She asked.

"He blew Double Oh's drives during the battle, he can't take the Gundam out in such a state." The forecaster replied, tone dropping.

Allelujah. _Hallelujah._ Both were lost somewhere outside the safe confines of Ptolemy. "How long has it been?" she asked, biting her lip. Did she want to know?

"Just over four hours…" the forecaster said sullenly. Reverie caught a fleeting feeling. Worry? Not standard worry. There was something else. Her head tilted unconsciously as she looked at the woman.

"You're worried about him." She said, buying time to pinpoint exactly what she'd seen. Guilt? Sadness?

-_Both of them-_

So she knew. Of course she did, why would that be surprising? Sumeragi probably even knew things about _her_ that she thought had been carefully hidden away. "You're worried about Hallelujah?" she asked.

The woman bit her lip but shook her head. "No. I know that Hallelujah will be fine, even cramped away in Allelujah's mind." _Mourning_. That's what it was. What was she mourning? A flash of Allelujah's face appeared in Reverie's mind. No, not Allelujah. Wild hair, a golden eye, and a grin that most definitely didn't belong to her gentle friend.

_-Hallelujah…-_

"I'm sure they'll find him soon. Allelujah's not known for being weak." Sumeragi said lightly. Reverie knew better than to believe it, her eyes weren't smiling with her lips. Hallelujah was someone important to her. Important and destructive. Of course, Sumeragi was known for her dedication to a destructive lifestyle, but _Hallelujah?_

"I hope you're right." Reverie replied, matching the woman's smile. She wouldn't question her on it and she wouldn't breathe a word. She couldn't stop herself from wondering though…did Allelujah know? She mentally shrugged the thought away, another, more urgent one replacing it. "I hope it isn't out of my place to ask…" she began. Sumeragi looked at her with startled, almost scared eyes."

_-Don't ask…don't ask about it. Please don't ask about Hallelu-!_

"I watched a dream when I was unconscious…it was about the AEU's friendly fire incident…" she said, intentionally cutting off Sumeragi's thought. She didn't want any more confirmation of her suspicions. "…was that your nightmare that I watched?"

The woman sighed in what Reverie could only describe as relief. "…It was my reality." She said, there was almost a laugh at the end of her statement. Not a laugh of happiness though, a laugh that found its roots deep in cynicism and disbelief.

"I'm sorry." Reverie replied, looking away from her. If what she'd seen and felt in the dream was true, she could understand where the forecaster's guilt had come from. Her destructive activities were her form of atonement. She felt like living happily would be an insult to the people she'd put in the ground. More specifically, the _person_. Emilio. The name suddenly had importance for Reverie as well.

Sumeragi chuckled. "Well, I can't blame you for picking up on things unconsciously." She said, taking on a jovial demeanor that was intended to shift the conversation. "I'd go crazy if I had to listen to all the secrets on board…" Reverie could almost see the forecaster's emotional walls going up.

"You have no idea." She muttered. "Especially with the characters on board…"

Sumeragi was about to say something, then tilted her head. "If you ever want to vent, my door is open."

Reverie smiled. "You sure? I'll probably take you up on it. I have to warn you, I can rant forever…" she cautioned.

"Well, I'll make sure to have a stockpile of booze, then." The woman joked. "I'd love to keep chatting, but I'm off to the bridge." She said, almost apologizing for escaping from their heavy, impromptu heart-to-heart.

"I should probably shower anyways. Don't get too close…I smell like a sandstorm."

That made the forecaster's eyes glint with humour. "I'll see you after that. We'll need you on the bridge anyways."

"Got it." Reverie nodded as the woman made her way down the hall. She watched her disappear around a corner and she sighed. There was an entire library of secrets stored in the heads of the Ptolemaios' crew. From the forecaster's unspoken destructive relationship to Lyle's working for Katharon, to Setsuna's familial slaughter. Somehow though they all managed to work together. They were all broken enough to have a silent understanding that those secrets would be shared only with permission, and only in amounts that suited the sharer. It was an agreement that Reverie understood, and one that she was willing to follow. She'd follow it because she didn't have to divulge secrets of her own, no matter how miniscule they seemed when compared to the others. She'd keep their secrets, and she'd revel in the small victory that sounded in her every time one of them was shared.

She'd be the silent keeper of their secrets.

She already was.

* * *

**Bonus Mini-Story!**

Tieria held the syringe carefully in his hand. Reverie had been almost violently refusing to be sedated and it was infuriating. As the gunner for Ptolemy, she had to be well rested and ready to go at all times. She was neither at the moment, and it would significantly decrease operating efficiency if she was exhausted. He watched the dirt-smudged brunette board and take her standing position by the window. For whatever reason she didn't seem to like sitting in the small ship. Regardless, she would be sitting after he slipped her the drug.

He nodded to Allelujah as he let the shuttle lift off and he cast a curious glance at Setsuna, who had been watching him intently ever since the Syringe had been hidden in his gloved hand. Somehow the Meister knew.

"Reverie Traum, are you going to sit?" he asked, looking at her incredulously.

"I don't see the point." she replied curtly. She was obviously still upset with him, but he wasn't bothered. He joined her at the window.

"What are you looking at?" he questioned.

"Nothing in particular." she said, disinterested. She didn't even look at him to respond. Well, she wouldn't bother noticing his next move, then.

He froze for a moment before raising his hand quickly and stabbing her with the syringe in the soft tissue just above the left side of her collarbone. Her head whipped around as he pressed the plunger of the antiquated medical device and withdrew it. He'd have to endure a few minutes of her anger before she passed out, but he was willing to deal with it.

"Tieria, what the hell did...you...do to..."

Her eyelids slowly closed and she stood, swooning for a long moment. _What!?_ How had they acted so fast!? Had he used too much? According to his data he'd used just enough for her body size! He watched in mortified terror as she slowly leaned backwards and-!

"Tieria!" Setsuna's sharp voice caught him as a flash of blue shot under the falling woman and a resounding crunch was heard in the small shuttle.

Allelujah's head spun to look at the scene but Tieria didn't bother to give an explanation. Her head had smashed into Setsuna's well-placed knee and she was most definitely unconscious.

"Tieria Erde, what have you done!?" Setsuna asked in a more demanding tone than normal. Somehow he still managed to look as calm as ever as the woman slumped to the ground. He shot up from the ground and yanked the wall-mounted spinal board from its resting place.

"She wasn't agreeing to sleep, and that isn't beneficial to the furthering of our-!"

"Did you _drug_ her!?" Saji Crossroad's voice interrupted the bickering, panicking Meisters.

"Of course I did! She wasn't listening!" Tieria snapped at the civilian.

"You can't _do_ that to people, Tieria!" he scolded, leaving his seat and kneeling beside the woman, helping Setsuna set up the spine-stabilizing device.

"I don't see why not. She obviously couldn't be trusted to make the decision for herself." Tieria stated simply, crossing his arms as though it would end the discussion.

"Do you know what kind of people drug women!?" Saji demanded, glaring daggers at the purple-clad Meister.

"Ones that strive for efficiency, I'd imagine." he mused as the other two men shifted the girl onto the solid board.

"S-sexual predators!" Saji exclaimed, stumbling over the first word.

_That_ made Tieria's face change to insulted shock, a flushed red color seeping into his cheeks. "I would _never_ do something like that!" he exclaimed, gesturing with his hands as though it would further prove his point.

"Oh really?" Saji asked, raising an eyebrow that was intended to insult the Meister more than it was to implicate him.

"Tieria Erde would not do something like that." Setsuna agreed in an even tone as he tightened the neck-supporting straps of the device.

"See? Setsuna knows." Tieria said, crossing his arms again.

"And how do you know?" Saji asked, not really sure why he was still debating Tieria's possible moonlighting as a rapist. It was obvious that he wasn't the type.

"Because Tieria would have to like women to do that." Setsuna replied.

There was an awkward silence between the three of them before Tieria simply huffed and stalked away, taking a seat next to Allelujah who sent him a curious glance before returning to piloting the shuttle.

Not another word was said for the rest of the trip.

* * *

AN: I hope you liked the mini-story, I couldn't help myself. I might do a few more here and there if I find little areas to work with them. Gundam Series are always so heavy, but I imagine that there must be funny things that happen when they're not busy saving the world. Come on, with _that_ group, there must be.


	9. Wine Shots

AN: Whee! Another chapter. I had some more spare time for some reason, so I jumped at the chance to write while I still can. I'm glad you liked the mini-story...I think it helped me vent some of the residual angst that comes from writing angsty stuff.

Thanks Stormy for the review! I agree, I feel bad for all the pain Reverie's managing to find herself in. Hopefully the next few chapters will give her a bit of a break. I'm excited to write the next chapter for sure. Also, you've gotten me started on Angel Beats. *starts smacking plot bunnies with a hammer*. Thanks to Logius Scriba as well! :D

I didn't listen to anything specific for this, just a lot of old ska and a song I used to listen to while on the range which I can't remember the name of but will post next time. Wow that was a long sentence.

On to the chapter!

* * *

**Wine Shots**

_"One of the disadvantages of wine is that it makes men mistake words for thoughts."_

Samuel Johnson

"Put the pistol back, you're not using it today."

Lyle watched with amusement as Reverie sent him a confused glance. They were on the range for a blackmailed marksmanship lesson and she seemed to be downright puzzled with his approach to teaching.

"Aren't you teaching me to shoot?" she asked. They'd spent the previous hour going through the basics of marksmanship, Aiming, Breathing, and Trigger Control. Now it was time to apply her newfound information.

"I am, but you're not going to learn the foundations with a pistol." He said. As he'd guessed, she'd only been given the basic firearms training that AEU officials received when it was expected that they wouldn't be at the forefront of battle. She could handle a pistol and he wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of her shots, but her accuracy could be much better with the right training. He stepped to the wall of the range and entered a string of commands into the wall-mounted computer system. A few seconds later the rear metal wall of the range lifted, then another behind it to reveal an elongated rifle target. The shooting distance had doubled.

"I didn't realize it was a full range…" She murmured as she watched the pistol station move out of the way automatically, making way for an empty steel slab of flooring that was roughly the length of her body. Lyle had already adjusted the range for her biometrics and he laughed when she looked at him, blue-grey eyes wide with curiosity as the automated voice of the range told her to assume her firing position.

"Haro, take over control of the range." He said to the little bot.

"Got it! Got it!" Haro announced, bouncing with a cable in his mechanical mouth.

"So, what do you want me to do?" she asked, watching as he pulled an antiquated rifle from the wall-mounted storage unit and balanced a box of ammunition on it.

"Shed your jacket." He said, pulling at drawers here and there until he found a few sets of leather gloves. They were nowhere near as nice as his and he shook his head as he felt the index fingers. How people could shoot with leather so thick separating them from the trigger was beyond him. He chose the set with the most worn-in fingertips and tossed them to her. "Keep those with you, they'll be your shooting gloves for now."

She nodded and draped her CB Jacket over the back of the pistol stand before pulling on the gloves. "How do they feel?" he asked, laying the rifle on the right side of the steel platform and setting the ammunition next to it.

"They're a little tight to be honest." She said, opening her hand to show him. Her hands were bigger than he'd thought…it was good. Larger hands meant steadier shooting. Should he have been surprised? Probably not. She was tall enough to tower over the other women on board, stare Tieria in the face, and marginally overshadow Setsuna, so it shouldn't have been unusual for her to have longer, larger hands. "They'll work though." She said, eyeing the rifle nervously. He could see that she was lightly holding the inside of her lip between her teeth and he laughed.

"We'll get you a better set eventually. Are you nervous, Rev?" he asked, watching her eyes shoot to the ground and her cheeks tint pink. It was adorable. He half expected a defensive response but instead she nodded.

"I've never used an antique rifle before…" she said, looking at him. "…I've never actually used a _rifle_ before, GN or otherwise." She admitted. Her posture lacked its normal radiating confidence and it was endearing to see her so worried. He placed a hand on each of her now exposed shoulders and looked down at her with the best disarming look he could manage.

"You'll be fine. Now lay down on your stomach." He said, giving her a little shove. She did as she was told and he knelt beside her. She looked up at him expectantly. "The most important part of your shot isn't what you learned earlier, it's all in your body position. Pull your right knee up. Good. Now Left elbow forward, right elbow back. All of your weight will be on the left elbow because your right hand will be pulling the trigger and securing the rifle butt in your shoulder." He said, shifting her here and there as needed. She winced as he shifted her right leg further up and he pulled his hand back immediately.

"Sorry, are you ok?"

She nodded quickly. "Yeah. I have bruises from holding onto Cherudim, that's all." She said, tracing the line where he imagined the bruises would lie. He felt a pang of guilt over it, but he still maintained that he'd made the best choice he could at the time.

"It's alright, I agree." She said, responding to his thought. "I'd rather be shaken up and have a few bruises than have sand-filled lungs and a bullet-riddled body."

"Still, you're lucky you didn't have internal damage from the G's. We pulled quite a few…"

"I'm just glad you came back for me." Somehow, that little confession filled him with pride. She smiled, then resumed her position. "Now teach me to shoot, Mr. Dylandy."

She listened intently for the next twenty minutes and applied his instructions carefully. Eventually, after half an hour, she'd fired ten rounds from the out-dated rifle with a surprising amount of success. What really surprised him more than anything though was how quiet she'd been through the whole process. She was an excellent student, to put it simply. He watched as she fired two more rounds, taking a good minute in-between them to recheck her posture and breathing. After the last shot he saw her left wrist shake and tapped her on the shoulder. She pulled one ear of her heavy sound-protection off.

"Break time." He said, standing and taking the ammunition with him. Some habits died hard, and from a young age he'd gotten into the routine of returning the ammunition to its lock-box during breaks.

"You've been shooting since you were a child?" she asked, standing and removing the ballistic glasses, her ear protection now resting around her neck. He'd almost forgotten that she could hear him as he mused about things.

He nodded. "Neil and I were part of a competitive shooting team in Ireland." They'd competed with each other back then with a fiery intensity that had left their coach shaking his head. Of course, they were never really able to compare their skills. Neil was amazing with carefully executed distance shots while Lyle was able to be accurate at a closer range on the fly.

"Like a rifle and a pistol?" She leaned against the wall next to him, looking down the range absentmindedly as she drank her water.

"Exactly like that." That was one of the many ways that they were different.

She shifted the waistband of her uniform pants and pulled up her tight black undershirt a little, looking at her hip curiously. "Is it usual to have bruising on your hips after this?" she asked, showing him the faint purple mark that was starting to develop on the smooth, pale skin. His eyebrow raised slightly of its own accord as he saw a hint of teal lace below the mark. He looked away and nodded.

"That's one way to know for sure if someone's a sniper, or if they have a decent amount of rifle experience."

"Are you bruised?" she asked, slipping her waistband back in place.

"I used to be, now the skin is rough enough to handle the pressure." He said. "Although I doubt you'll get to that point. I've been shooting for over fifteen years." He mused. The idea of her hip being roughened from shooting was one he didn't like. He looked at her arms, exposed due to the cut of the female shirt. They were feminine for sure, but under the smooth, soft skin it was obvious that she wasn't weak. Strong bones were covered by hints of the shapes that he'd expect to see from his own arms. He had the suspicion that the rest of her body was most likely covered with the taught, feminine muscle that was present in her limbs.

"It is." She replied, snapping him out of his not-so-private thought bubble. "…if it's not conceited to say."

"Damn, Sorry Rev." he muttered, embarrassed. He looked at her, expecting annoyance, but she was looking down the range thoughtfully. "It must be a pain to have to listen to thoughts like that." He pressed.

She nodded. "It's a major setback when getting to know someone, that's for sure."

"What do you mean?" he asked. He was sure he had a general idea. Someone like her was sure to elicit all kinds of less-than-pleasant thoughts from the male population. Of course, being a man, he knew exactly what kinds of thoughts they were.

"Hearing a guy's thoughts before he speaks to me generally ruins whatever hope he had of making a good impression." She laughed under her breath. "I can't blame them though. How are they supposed to know that I can hear them think those kinds of things?"

He felt guilty. _He _knew that she could hear. "I can stop, Rev." He'd kept his thoughts fairly clean around her, but he was sure that some were still teetering on the edge of inappropriate.

"Are you serious?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I am." He said. Of course, he'd have to convince himself that he was completely and utterly friend-zoned to do it, but if she wanted him to he didn't see why not.

"No, I mean, are you serious when you flirt, through thoughts or otherwise?"

He hadn't expected that question and he looked at her in surprise. Was this a test? Was there a right answer? Was this some kind of female game that should have him tip-toeing around the subject?

"Yes or no, Lyle. If I wanted to play mind games with you I could do much better than asking you a blunt question."

True. She was right. If she wanted to she could have him chasing his proverbial tail in his head. "Yes, I'm serious." He said before he could decide not to. "I've never been the type to flirt with someone I had no intention of picking up."

"So you had the intention of picking me up?" she asked, a sly grin tugging at her features. Her eyes danced with devilish mischief.

Damn it. Think fast. "Of course. I already picked you up with Cherudim. It was too rough for you, though." He joked, half expecting a playful slap. "Seriously though, do you want me to stop?" he asked. He was never one to intentionally make women uncomfortable. Joking was fine, as long as it didn't offend them. There was no need to be offensive.

She looked down the range in thought for a moment. "If I say no, does this mean you'll be more shameless than ever? I don't want you thinking you have permission to scandalize me at all hours of the day."

"There are better things we could do all hours of the day." He said, tilting his head, voice heavy with implication.

"Lyle!" she exclaimed, swatting his shoulder.

"Whoa!" he said, holding up his hands in mock upset. "I meant teaching you to shoot! Whose scandalizing who now!?"

She shook her head and laughed, the jovial look pulling her face into a carefree expression that was rarely seen on Ptolemy. It was refreshing. "Fine. You can keep flirting." She said, catching her breath after her laugh. "If you didn't I think I'd go crazy. Everyone's thoughts are so heavy here." She admitted, leaning against the wall again. She looked happy. It was something he found himself enjoying. Haro bounced contentedly as well, and it felt like they weren't aboard a ship that was identified as a terrorist vessel, leaving the ruins of a terrorist base, moving forward to destroy a worldwide military force.

No.

Right now they just felt like two people, joking about normal things and the air was somehow lighter. He inhaled and let his lungs fill with the relaxed feeling before letting out a long breath. "We'd better get back to work. A few sessions a week and we'll have you sniping people in no time."

She laughed and set her water down, laying on the platform again. Maybe her blackmail had been a good thing. If they could steal away time in the range, locked away from the rest of the world, maybe he wouldn't be swallowed up by the darkness that weighed on all Ptolemy's crew. If they could hide away from the world for a little while here and there then they'd maybe, just maybe, come out of this alright.

"You coming?" Reverie asked, looking back at him with the oversized hearing protection device on her head, the oversize glasses and undersized gloves making her look adorable. Adorable and carefree.

"Yeah. Just didn't realize how much I missed this."

"This?" she asked, tilting her head.

He nodded. "Friendship."

* * *

_Two Hours Later_

Reverie listened to Tieria as he explained his plan for the second time. The first time that he'd explained it he'd spoken what sounded like computer to her. 'Circuit' 'connection' 'current complications'. She'd been a mechanical engineering student for years, but she had only heard half of what he'd said. He spoke so quickly and with so much animation that he was hard to follow. She'd spent half of the first explanation just watching him hum with excitement. Part of her wondered if he'd gotten a knee to the head as well. Regardless, something was wrong with him. He'd gone from depressing during the Katharon recovery effort to confused and almost jumpy-nervous after finding Allelujah, to neurotically interested in furthering Ptolemy's fighting strength.

He knew something that the rest of them didn't…something that he wasn't ready to share but that piqued Reverie's curiosity to no end.

"Alright." She said, steeling herself to repeat what she'd just heard. "So. You want to recreate the experiment that the AEU did."

"Yes."

"So you want to make a full-body system that will let me access the power of the GN Drives and which will also amplify my current abilities."

"Yes."

"The only way I can sense the Pseudo Drives coming and overpower them is through pain. Will this also amplify my pain?"

"We don't know." He said, studying her face almost anxiously. He was like a schoolchild who was asking if he could pull wings off a fly, and part of her wanted to let him.

"How long until you will?" she asked.

"Not until we've made the system and have done a trial-run of it." He said.

"And how will this help Ptolemy?" She understood how it would, but she wanted to hear Tieria's expectations.

"By allowing us to have advanced warning when enemies are approaching, and by limiting the power of attacking mobile suits, thus letting them be destroyed much easier."

"In theory." She confirmed. There was no way to know it for sure.

"Yes, in theory." He replied, eyeing her anxiously again.

Somehow asking direct questions had given her more information than his twenty-minute babbling spiel had. What could she do? She could say no, but she'd still be in pain from the drives and she'd still not really have a permanent place aboard the ship. She could be easily replaced as a gunner by someone with more experience, and then she'd be stuck without anything useful to do. Without more information she couldn't really say 'no' to the plan, and getting more information meant running a trial. Of course, this would take time as the trial system would have to be designed and created. She could think about it in more detail while they were building it. At least that way it would be ready if she decided that she really _was_ ok with the idea. "And Shia and Ian have agreed to work on it?" she asked, wanting to watch Tieria squirm a little longer.

"Yes." He said, nodding fervently.

She tilted her head and stayed silent for a long moment, waiting until she thought Tieria's head would explode in anticipation. "Alright, I'll do it." She said.

"Very well, I'll let Ian and Shia-!"

"…on the condition that you can't make me wear any more ridiculous outfits." She said, holding up a hand to interrupt the Meister.

"But-!"

"I don't care _what_ your reasoning is. It's uncomfortable and unnecessary."

"It did save your life, though." Tieria pointed out. She _knew_ that it had been a bad idea to mention in the Katharon report that her oversized flight suit had let her escape being buried alive.

"It may have, but no more. If you present it in a convincing manner I might consider it in the future, but it will be _my choice_." She said, mentally putting her foot down.

"Fine. If I agree to that, _you_ are not allowed to strike me again." He said resolutely.

She shook her head in disbelief. It was quite possible that she'd reach the point where she wanted to backhand him again. "You have no bargaining chips to work with, Tieria." She said, pointing out the obvious. He didn't respond and she shook her head. "Fine. I won't hit you again if you agree to not sedate me again." It seemed fair enough.

"_You_ brought that upon yourself. I was merely ensuring your maximum operating efficiency."

"With a knee to the back of the head?" she questioned. That made him freeze. _Bingo._

He sighed. "Fine. I agree to refrain from sedating you in the future, as well as to allow you to wear what you please during missions, as long as you agree to proceed with the test run of this system and you agree to refrain from striking me." He said, summing up their bargaining session.

"I agree." She said, uncrossing her arms and extending her hand. Tieria looked at it with disdain for a moment before awkwardly taking hers as well. They shook quickly and without any rhythm.

"Carry on with your duties on the bridge, I will inform Ian Vashti and Shia Mazarenco of your participation." He said.

Reverie nodded, then looked at him. "Tieria"

"Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

The question caught him off-guard, it was easy to see. A flash of what seemed to be hate? No, worry? No, _fear_ crossed his face. It was gone in a split second, covered by the mask of his usual indifference. "Yes, I am. Why do you ask?" he said. He wanted to know so he could avoid slipping up in the same way in the future, she imagined.

"You're acting differently, that's all." She replied. "Ever since coming back from Allelujah's rescue mission."

He froze. "That's…I was...I was worried about Allelujah. That's all." He said, clearly searching as quickly as possible for an answer.

"Ah." She said, knowing better than to believe him. "I thought so. Don't worry Tieria, we'll all be fine." She said, playing into his lie. She'd learned early on that it was better to leave Tieria to figure things out on his own rather than prod him.

"Of course we will. I'll make sure of that." He said. His expression was resolute and determined, but it was mixed with the faintest hint of pain. If she'd ever wanted to read someone's thoughts, it was Tieria's at this exact moment. Who was he thinking about? Christina? Lichty? Dr. Moreno? Neil? She didn't know, but it was obvious from his determination that he didn't plan on losing anyone else.

"If you ever want to talk, you know where to find me." She said. It was ridiculous, she knew. There was no way Tieria would ever willingly speak to her about anything that didn't pertain to a mission of some sort, but she couldn't walk away from his expression without at least extending the gesture.

"I do." He curtly replied. She left without another word.

* * *

_Several Days Later_

Reverie swished a sample glass of wine, taking note of the thin tendrils of it that stuck to the glass. "I'd estimate about 60 years old, so sometime in the 2250's." she lifted the sample to her mouth, sniffing it before taking a small sip. It hung on her tongue for a minute before she discreetly spat it back out into the designated silver spittoon and counted the length that it lasted on her tongue. "I'd say the Chalisseur Shiraz."

_-That's nine out of ten so far, if she gets the last two she'll have it.-_

The man in front of her nodded, tapping away at the file in front of him. Why was she standing in front of a table of expensive wines? Because Sumeragi had insisted that she be sent along with Tieria and Setsuna to the A-Laws banquet. After picking through her past, Tieria had suggested having her be the bartender for the event, as she had been part-time during school, but she'd disagreed. After escaping the AEU she'd found employment here and there as a fairly reputable Sommelier. Being able to hear people's thoughts made it incredibly easy to pick a wine that they would like, and she'd managed to make somewhat of a name for herself in Germany. It had been a false name, but it was the name she was using today. Of course, Wang Liu Mei had been the one to suggest her as a Sommelier, but the only way to secure the position without raising suspicions would be to get the job the old fashioned way: through skill. After the two-hour roasting she'd been given along with the other ten applicants, it was unlikely that anyone could say she didn't have the ability.

She continued with the next glass after clearing her palette with acidity-balanced water. She could hear the nervous thoughts of the four remaining applicants. There were only two positions to be given, and a banquet with guests as wealthy as the A-Laws administration was sure to result in massive tips. Reverie wasn't interested in tips, though. She was interested in the interaction that she could gain by moving around the room, picking brains here and there. It wouldn't be out of place for her to brush against one of the officials while pouring wine, nor would it be out of place for her to chat with them here and there. Both of those luxuries would give her better access to their thoughts, and both were also luxuries she wouldn't have if she were stuck behind a bar.

"2283 Perdeau Merlot." She said. The acidity was far too low for it to be anything else, and they'd only listed one Merlot in the samples.

He nodded again and tapped away at the file. "And the finale one?" he said, clearly wanting to get this part over with. From what she could hear of his mental muttering he'd had a horrible night with a newborn that had been crying intermittently, and a wife that was too exhausted to do anything but beg him to take care of it. Tough. She cleared her palate again and readied herself for the last sample. The list of possible samples was 60 bottles long, but they only tasted twelve. She'd never admit it to Tieria, but she was tuning out the man's thoughts as much as possible. Call it pride, but she wanted to pass the test without her abilities. "2301….No. 2305….." she said, lifting the glass to her lips. She let it sit on her tongue, then spat. It had an aftertaste of cherries and a hint of almost wood. "Pinot Noir. Fournier-Bleu" She said.

"2305 Fournier-Bleu Pinot Noir?" he asked, looking up at her before finalizing the file.

She nodded.

"Very well-done, Ms. Faust." He said, nodding curtly. "You will join Ms. Dupont as a Sommelier for the banquet event." He said, shaking her hand. It was a firm shake and she thanked him while she tried to drown out the sad and snippy remarks of the other two remaining candidates. More than that, she was glad to be joining the blonde Frenchwoman. From the thoughts that Reverie had managed to pick up, she was a member of Katharon who was applying for the same reasons as Reverie; information gathering. Of course, Reverie would have a much easier time of it.

Almost immediately they were escorted by car to the massive wine cellar underneath the event space. They'd spend the next few hours and the entirety of the next day becoming familiar with the wines that the estate had to offer. Despite what one would commonly think, it was an exhausting job. She had to be extra-diligent in her examination of the stock because of the importance of the guests. The more money a patron had, the higher the likelihood that they'd have extensive experience with wines. She followed quietly behind the two of them as the cellar was explained. She didn't want to miss a thing.

Every detail could be the difference between being found out or not.


	10. Masked Marauder

AN: Yay! I was so excited to write this chapter. I hope that I havent' butchered it with my editing knife, it was one of the easiest to write so far. I'm especially excited about it as I get to intorduce a new character that will become more prominent in later chapters. **  
**

In other news I'll be writing a lot slower for the next few weeks I think. I've been having some health issues and I'm currently dealing with the exhaustion and lightheadedness that comes from having a large amount of blood drawn. Hopefully that didn't alter this chapter.

Thanks so much to Anne Fatalism Dilettante for all the feedback! :D You should definitely check out her work, I'm loving her G00 fic "Cryptic" right now :D. Also thanks to Stormy! I knew you'd like the opening piece, I was loving writing it!

A note on the wines from the last chapter: Anything over 15 years would have to be a result of the ficticious process that I made up in this chapter. I thought I included this in the AN from last chapter, but I didn't. I'm a bit retentive about it as I do have a bit of a history with wine and need to make it correct for my own sanity.

I listened to "Tick Tick Boom!" from The Hives to write this chapter, although it doesn't really apply.

* * *

**Masked Marauder**

_"Virtue has a veil, vice a mask."_

Victor Hugo

There were guests absolutely everywhere. Tall and short, male and female, talkative or silent. Every type of person. She and the other Sommelier, Claudine, had been instructed to start their rounds at eight o'clock sharp, and it was now a minute after it. Bus boys were carefully unveiling the two wine displays and the attention of the room shifted to the expensive collections. Claudine's collection featured wines made in the antique fashion prior to the 23rd Century, and Reverie's focused on wines that had been carefully aged in space. After a coin-toss in secret, Reverie had won the more interesting collection and she couldn't say she was disappointed. Claudine's display featured bottles resting on antique maple wood racks, carefully labelled and smelling like wood. Reverie's on the other hand was a lengthy solid glass wine cooler that stretched easily forty feet across. It was beautiful. Each separate area in the glass cooler was set for a different temperature. She didn't have to look to know that all of the bottles would be ridiculously costly. She liked it. She quickly looked herself over before stepping out onto the floor. She and Claudine wore slim black cocktail dresses and had been carefully made-up. The straps sat carefully on the shoulder, as though they would fall if they moved a millimeter the wrong way. Her hair had been swept up in an up-do that matched her French counterpart's, and each of them had been gifted with a pair of ostentatiously priced stilettos that could have easily been a problem for someone who didn't have a well-loved history with heels.

The thoughts of those in the room were already overcrowding her mind as she was approached by a couple who were inquiring about the space-aging process. She listened to both the conversation as well as the thoughts milling about and explained the process to them.

"…by aging bottles in space they can be aged far past the standard fifteen years of the regular process. This way the tastes are purified in a contaminate-free locale." She said, pouring the couple a sample of a white and red.

"Well isn't that wonderful!" the woman said, lightly sniffing the liquid.

"It seems an overuse of labour if you ask me." The man said. "What once took fifteen years in a barn now takes fifty in a colony."

Reverie laughed. "I'm inclined to agree with you, although the end result is much better than standardly made wines. Of course, by aging the bottles in space they can be manned by a computer system as opposed to the human workers that are still needed in earth-bound vin-yards."

He swirled the wine skeptically in the glass before sipping it and opening his eyes in shock. "You just might be right, young lady."

She took the moment to scan his thoughts but there was nothing particularly useful. He was a contributor to the A-Laws finances but he didn't know anything about their operations. From the thoughts he _did_ have, he didn't _want_ to know about them. Fair enough. After accepting a tip she watched them leave and was approached by an imposingly tall man who escorted a purple haired lady towards her. A beautiful, elegantly dressed, purple haired…lady?

"Do you have the 2280 Malbreau Zinfandel here? This lovely woman doesn't know what she's missing, it would seem."

Oh yes she did. She knew exactly what she was missing…that was no woman. _That_ was Tieria. "Oh! That's shocking! I agree, she should have some." Reverie said, having to cover up her shocked expression somehow. Shocked wasn't even the word. She could feel an unconsciously arising pang of jealousy rising in her; Tieria was _prettier_ than her! Damn that _princess_! She retrieved the bottle and poured the glasses, trying to not burn a hole through Tieria's head with her stares. He'd never live this down, not in a million years.

What shocked her even more was the dainty, _feminine_ voice that he'd managed to muster. "Oh thank-you, it smells so sweet." He was even doing a remarkable job of not glaring at her at all. She mentally kicked herself…she should be attempting to be as impassive.

After a generous tip they left, Tieria laughing daintily at some comment the man had made about something or other and him promising to introduce 'her' to so-and-so. Reverie resisted the urge to shake her head.

The next hour moved along in a similar fashion, people approaching and her reaching every corner of the expansive cooler to find the right bottles. She made a mental note to start buying expensive heels. Despite the four and a half inch heel her feet weren't hurting as badly as they should have been.

_-It's Wong Liu Mei!-_

That thought made Reverie turn in curiosity, her hand hovering over a bottle. She'd never seen Celestial Being's financier and of course her not-so-subtle curiosity had to be sated somehow. She watched as the woman entered, followed by her attendant. Reverie started to narrow down her thoughts but stopped abruptly. Should she really be looking inside this woman's head? Was that crossing an unspoken boundary? She wasn't sure.

_-That must have been Ms. Sumeragi's doing. I have to say, Ribbons has out-done himself.-_

_Ribbons?_ Who was that? Another background figure in Celestial Being? No. Wong Liu Mei was sure to know a large amount of the guests who were present tonight. Whomever this 'Ribbons' was, they were probably a full-fledged A-Laws supporter.

"I'm sorry, have I inconvenienced you by asking you to do your job?" A playful tone, but an insulting sentence. Reverie snapped out of her thought bubble and retrieved the bottle. The man was evenly her height with shaggy blonde hair that sat on his head almost like a clown wig. As if by some kind of comedic vein of life he also had the rounded nose and somewhat plump look of one as well. An insulting clown.

"I'm sorry sir"

"Of course you are." The snide tone in his voice made her anger flare but she didn't let it show, instead using the opportunity to pick at his brain.

Brigadier General Arthur Goodman. _He'd_ have some interesting thoughts to pick.

"Can I offer you a complementary bottle of our host's wine to apologize?" she asked, surprised by the sweetness of her own voice. If it kept running over her teeth she'd get cavities.

"Is that to imply that I couldn't afford one of them?" he asked. He was obviously looking for a fight, and she had no intention of giving him one. The most irritating thing about his snippy sentences was that his voice was constantly laughing.

"There was no implication, sir." She replied. She needed to buy time somehow. Digging through his thoughts was easy enough with him being irritated, but she needed time. She put on her best coy face and tried the only thing that would work, flattery. "You wouldn't happen to be Brigadier General Arthur Goodman, would you?" There was that cavity-voice again.

His expression changed slightly and she could feel his sense of pride. It annoyed her. "I am." He replied shortly, apparently still irritated.

"It's an honour to meet you sir, I'm sorry about the bottle of wine as I said…I'm just honoured to be in the presence of so many of our worlds' protectors." She said. She needed to drop a keyword of some sort to get him thinking about the important stuff.

"That's all well and good, but I suggest keeping the stars out of your eyes while working." God dammit, she wanted to hit him. She wanted to hit him _so badly_.

"Be easier on the girl, Arthur." Another voice. A tall man with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. He was middle-aged and towered over her, something that she didn't like. The man beside him drew all of her attention away though. He was wearing a mask, and that alone was enough to get her curiosity riled up. "She was complimenting you, after-all." He finished.

"Sommeliers are more trouble than they're worth in my books, you know that, Homer." The clown-man said, examining his sample of wine as though he had a clue about it.

Homer Katagiri, Arthur Goodman, and a masked man who was probably just as important. If she prayed hard enough, could she wish a pistol into existence? She doubted it. She swiftly pulled the cork from the bottle that Goodman had requested and poured the glass. As she did so she examined the masked man. He was as tall as Katagiri but somehow not as rigidly built. Short brown unruly hair covered thin leather straps that held the deep green mask in place. It only covered the upper half of his face and from what wasn't covered she could tell that he would be attractive.

"It's been said that drinking an expensive wine is like making love." He said, tilting his head. His voice was familiar and playful. She felt like it was a voice she knew very well, but at the same time she couldn't identify it.

"What's your point, Gallagher?" Goodman interrogated more than asked.

The man laughed. "Well, can one make love without a lover?"

She carefully handed Goodman the glass, not looking at the masked man as she felt his glass-covered eyes on her. She could feel her cheeks flush and she wasn't sure why. Normally attention from random men didn't have that effect on her, but there was something about his voice…

"Don't waste your breath, Ailin. Arthur doesn't understand love or lovers." Katagiri replied with a laugh.

"If I did I wouldn't have gotten this far in A-Laws, would I?" Arthur asked in defence. Reverie set the bottle in a temperature-controlling stand and set it on the spindly cocktail table that was between them. She slipped away and aided another set of financiers as she listened into the conversation.

"We're both just as far along as you." Homer pointed out, browsing through the extensive wine list.

"And look at where your marriage is, Homer." Goodman joked. "I'll be hard-pressed to say that you know anything about love."

"I love this wine." Homer replied, looking at the glass.

"Put a Russian in space and he makes weapons, put a Frenchman in space and he makes wine." The masked man said.

That somehow raised a laugh from the table. Between the three of them not a single one was thinking about anything that was useful. If she could have she would have run up to them and spouted topic specific words like 'Gundam', 'Katharon', and 'Celestial Being'. Of course, She wasn't stupid enough to do it. Not a single useful thought was floating around the trio.

Until she heard a chuckle from the masked man.

_-So you want us to talk about Celestial Being, eh? What exactly should we say about the Gundams?-_

Had he just…heard her?

_-Not so comfortable having someone in your head, is it?-_

The bottle she was holding slipped out of her hand. She watched detachedly as it fell slowly to the ground, the whole scene moving frame by frame. _He'd heard her think_. She waited for the sound of the bottle shattering, but it didn't happen. A large hand caught it, wrapped in an expensive leather glove. She looked up at him in shocked horror. He'd _heard_ her.

"That could have been ugly." He said in a playful tone that ignored the jolt of horror that he'd just shot through her.

"Um…" she mumbled, forgetting how to speak. "It could have been…thank-you."

As far as she was concerned there was no one else in the room. All the light, all the sound, and all the tension in the room was falling between the two of them. _You can…hear me?_

He smiled. Not a welcoming smile or a scary one, but a _manipulative_ one. He knew that he had all of the power at the moment. _–And you can hear me.-_

She looked at her hand as the cold bottle touched her fingertips. She took it from him slowly, all of her nerve endings on fire. If anyone had made a sudden movement in that moment she would have screamed and dropped the bottle again. He stepped back to the cocktail table and the other two men with long strides. _–Listen to this..-_

"So what do you make of the connection between Katharon and Celestial Being?" He asked the other two, playing directly into what she wanted. She slightly snapped out of her trance and pulled the cork out of the bottle that had almost been destroyed.

"Do we need to mix business and pleasure, Ailin?" _–Once the Eastern chapter of Katharon is taken out next week, both organizations will start running out of places to hide…-_ Katagiri thought, his expression starkly contrasting his mental topic choice.

"You know me, always willing to destroy happiness for a chance to get a head-start on work." 'Ailin' joked. "On that note, how are the new models coming along?"

Why was he doing this? What could he possibly gain from getting them to spill these secrets?

_-It'll make it more fun.-_

_It'll make what more fun?_ She demanded in her head as she listened to the other two ponder the new mobile suits. She poured samples of wine here and there as she listened, almost running on auto-pilot.

"You're only asking because you want the first one, am I right?" Goodman teased. "Don't worry, They've already made one to your specifications."

So he was a pilot. A pilot who was conveniently ignoring her thought-demands. What would be more fun!?

_-Giving Celestial Being a head-start, of course.-_

He knew she was with Celestial Being. Of course he did. How could he not? Her mind was reeling with information.

Wait. She stopped dead in her thought-tracks.

_-Now she gets it.-_ He looked at her, his masked face staring at her unemotionally but his smile like that of the Cheshire cat. _–Your brain is full of all kinds of secrets too, Reverie Traum.-_

She had to leave. She had to get out immediately. Was there a way? She looked at all of the people around her who were marvelling over the bottles around her and she realized there was no easy way out of the scenario.

_-What are you gonna do? Running would force you to out yourself, but if you stay here, who knows how many nifty little things I'll pick out of your head. Maybe I'll keep picking at Ptolemy's weapons system. That is the name of the ship, right? Ptolemy?-_

What could she do? She looked around at the milling partygoers. Tieria was nowhere to be seen after his dance with the green-haired man. She hadn't seen Setsuna all night. Gowns flowed, wine flowed, laughter filled the room and servers floated around with trays of food. How the hell could she get out of there?

The food.

That was it. She would fake an allergy.

_-Clever.-_ he mused, reading her thoughts as she formed them. _–Almost as clever as your tactical forecaster. What's her codename? Sumeragi? Formerly a member of the AEU Force, just like yourself…-_

He was toying with her. She popped another cork and watched as a tray went by. That one wouldn't work. She saw another out of the corner of her eye and prayed that it had what she needed. She could hear the masked man laughing in her head.

"Sir" he said, raising a hand lightly to bring the man with the unknown tray over. She cursed mentally in all three languages that she knew as the server walked away from her. What else could she do? She could always out the other Sommelier as a Katharon operative, but could she really live with that? No. She could see if Claudine had friends in the area that could pull her out of the party, but that would mean possibly placing Katharon in danger, something that she couldn't do. This was _her_ mess.

_-That's noble of you. Why don't I give you an out? Wouldn't that be fun?"_

She was getting really sick of the word 'fun'. She was getting ready to just abandon her post and make a break for it when the perfect opportunity arose.

"This peanut sauce is delicious!" the woman in front of her said, munching happily on a biscuit that was coated in the sauce. This was it.

Reverie looked at her in mock horror before coughing and holding her throat, dropping the glass of wine she'd just filled and sinking to her knees. The glass shattered and turned all eyes to her. _Perfect_. The room would notice if she suddenly went missing.

"What's wrong!?" the woman exclaimed, kneeling in front of her. Reverie looked up at her and did her best to choke, clasping her throat and struggling to breathe. If she didn't get an award for her act she'd be severely disappointed.

"Ma'am, step away!" _That man's voice!_

The masked man knelt before her. "She must have an allergy" he said, playing the part of brilliant bystander as he took her pulse and pulled her hands from around her throat. Reverie coughed as hard as she could, heaving and trying to suck in air.

"Oh my goodness! It must have been the peanuts!" the woman exclaimed. "Get a medic!"

"There's one in the back." He said. "I'll take her there. Find one of the bus boys to clean up the wine." He said, clearly used to being in charge. She cursed every god she could think of when he scooped her up and jogged lightly to the service doors at the far end of the grand hall.

"You can curse them all you want." He said, pushing the door open with his shoulder and stalking past the scurrying service members. "But they seem to like me more than you today." He was pulling at his memories to find a windowless room. That meant that she had no choice but to make a break for it now. As much as she hated to do it, she slipped her heels off and let them clatter to the kitchen floor. The second they entered a deserted hallway she whipped her elbow around, hoping to catch him in the throat. He beat her to the violence with a swift and painful head-butt.

_Why does it always have to be my head…?_ She was dizzy, but dizzy was good. Dizzy was hard to read. She whipped her other arm around and caught him squarely in the jaw, making him snarl and drop her as blood trickled over his lips.

_-My tongue!-_

She hit the ground with a sharp thud and was up and running a split second later. He was after her like a dog. He had the upper hand of knowing the mansion already and as she weaved through halls here and there and slammed into locked doors and blocked exits his manic laugh rang in her head._–There's nowhere for you to go, Meisterette.- _he mocked.

"I'm not a Meister!" she snapped as she hit another door. She realized that he was now walking towards her with long, carefree strides. She really had nowhere to go.

"Of course you aren't. If you were, your comrades wouldn't have left you here."

_What?_ _Were Tieria and Setsuna gone?_

"The little soldier and the Innovator tore out of here just minutes ago." He said, watching her smash twice into a stubborn oak door.

_Innovator?_

She gave up trying to run. She'd tried all the doors and there was no other way out of the hall. It was a dead-end. "What's an Innovator?" she said, hands on her hips as she stood barefoot in the hall.

"It's interesting that you don't know, seeing as you work with one so closely." He teased. She didn't like that he had information that she didn't. He casually wiped away the thin stream of blood that ran from the corner of his mouth, a gloved thumb erasing it.

"Tieria." She said. He was playing games with her head, it wasn't a stretch to imagine that he already knew Tieria's name.

"That would be the one." He said. She stood in awkward defiance for a long moment. She had to get out of the corner she'd backed herself into. Could she fight him? He was easily half a foot taller than her, and with most likely a fifty-pound muscular advantage. Not to mention that he was reading her mind. That would be a problem. It would be like trying to fight Lyle or Allelujah. Totally insane. She'd do it.

She ran at him. He laughed and raised an arm to combat whatever limb she was going to throw at him, but she didn't throw a limb. She threw her whole body. The surprise took him straight off his feet and they fell together, his heavier, suit-clad body breaking her fall. She sprung up as fast as humanely possible but he grabbed her leg, sending her crashing back into the floor. She rolled onto her back immediately as he started to get up and caught him in the neck with a well-planted foot. She wasn't heavy enough to knock him over but it sent him lightly off balance. She made it to her feet and was about to bolt when she heard the innocent click of a pistol being cocked.

She stopped and looked back at him. He held the pistol expertly, his arm stretched at shoulder level, making the offensive little object sit in line with her head.

"I'd really rather not do this, Reverie." He said, his tone taking an edge. Suddenly the familiarity of his voice clicked in her head. _"Dammit, Rev. Why'd you have to pick up on that? I don't want to do this.."_

Lyle.

He had Lyle's voice.

"Ailin Gallagher, lower your weapon."

A strange female voice interrupted their standoff. He sighed and lowered the pistol. Reverie looked behind her and the whole scenario became infinitely stranger.

"Tieria….?" She asked, tilting her head. The voice was so different, but the face was exactly the same.

"Reverie Traum." The woman said. "I am Regene Regetta. Like Tieria Erde, I am an Innovator."

Her brain was definitely not processing as quickly as it should have. Then again, there was so much to process…so much to deal with. "What's going on? Why do you…"

_-Well, that's a relief.-_ she heard the man think, uncocking the pistol and slipping it away.

"There is no time to explain, Reverie." The woman said. She stepped aside and motioned down the hallway that the man had chased her down. "Go now."

Reverie stood in mild shock for a moment, then ran.

She didn't look back.

* * *

An hour and two sore and bloody feet later, she arrived back at the room that she'd been staying in for the last few days. She didn't waste any time on ceremony as she shot into the bathroom and attended to her feet. They were roughed up with little cuts here and there and she examined them quickly, sitting on the edge of the tub and picking pieces of gravel out of them. She hadn't had any time to process what had happened at the event, nor did she have any time to now. It was quite possible that the man had found out where she was staying for the time being and she had to be as fast as possible. She swivelled so her feet were in the bathtub and she filled the tub just enough to let them soak as she tore open the first-aid kit over the toilet and organized what she needed. If she was going to get out of there she needed her feet to be taken care of.

The water was a mix of murky, muddy brown and a bloody pink. She drained it and towelled her feet off, not having the time to properly rinse them. She winced and snarled as she dumped the contents of a bottle of rubbing alcohol on them and took a minute to let the stinging, offensive pain die down. Tieria and Setsuna wouldn't know to come get her yet. As far as they knew she would be there for two more hours still. That was a long time to wait in a compromised location. She towelled her feet off again and carefully bandaged the worst cuts, then teetered on the tub edge and reached for the set of slippers that she'd brought with her. She had to pack her things and get going.

Her things were packed quickly. She hadn't brought much with her and packing the nondescript backpack was easy enough. She'd changed out of the dress and was now comfortably in jeans and a tank top, the white leather jacket that she'd worn initially when she joined Celestial Being would block out the cold wind of the evening. She looked the room over before closing the door and leaving, dropping the keys in the repository at the front door. She stepped out onto the street, wincing a little painfully as she walked briskly away from the derelict hotel and waved down a cab. Luckily she'd made enough money at the event to get around the city and wait for a pickup. She just had to hope that Tieria and Setsuna hadn't completely ditched her.

The cab dropped her off downtown and she walked aimlessly for a few blocks. She needed to eat, and she needed to go somewhere she'd blend in. A pub the next street over seemed like the perfect place. She stopped before reaching it and sent a message to both Tieria and Setsuna, telling them where she was. She hoped it wasn't long, the pubs would be closing in two hours. She slipped her contact drive away and slipped into the small pub, the massive oak door giving her a bit of trouble.

She'd stay here until the pub closed, and if she still hadn't heard from them by then she'd find a hostel or hotel to crash in for the night. She hoped it didn't come to that, but it was quite possible that it could. She sat in one of the booths in the back of the pub, taking shelter under its dim lighting and faint smoky smell.

What had happened that night?

It was supposed to be so routine and simple. Tieria and Setsuna were the ones with the greater risk, yet somehow she'd ended up running from a masked man with Lyle's voice who had the same abilities as her, then she was saved by a woman with Tieria's face who claimed she was something called an 'Innovator'. She inhaled deeply and sighed. Who knew how much information that man had gotten out of her head before she'd realized what was going on.

More importantly than the information was 'why?'. Why hadn't he outed her as a member of Celestial Being? Why had he given her information? Why had that woman let her go? Why hadn't the man, a member of A-Laws, stopped her? Why did he have Lyle's voice?

There were a million more questions just like those in her mind. She knew that she should be storing the important details away for her report later, but where would she start? How could she narrow down what was important and what wasn't?

Her contact device beeped and she looked at the message.

_Unexpected departure. Will send pickup. Stay in-place._

_Setsuna F. Seiei_

She sighed. That was a relief at least. It was peculiar that he always used his full name. Then again, many things were peculiar about him. Many things were peculiar about all of them.

Many things that might not be secrets anymore.


	11. Interrogation Island

AN: This chapter took me so long to write. I re-wrote it two or three times and fought with myself about whether or not I really needed to make the last part as detailed as I did, but after much thought and scribbling in my little story-planning book I've decided that I needed to cover the issue of Reverie's past sooner than later. It's relevant for pieces later in the story so bear with me please!

I'm so relieved that you all liked the last chapter! Yes, it's not Graham (even though I love Graham to pieces). I was disappointed with how they used Graham in season two, and I was dissatisfied with the lack of suspense surrounding him being masked. It was literally "Graham has a mask now, call him Mr. Bushido." rather than an unmasking and "OMG Graham was the one pulling the strings all along!" which I thoroughly enjoy from Gundam series. He was underwhelming as a masked-man when compared with Char, Zechs, Rau, and even Neo. Boo. So I give you a brown-haired masked man that will be plot relevant from here out.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Stormy, I think you picked up on what I'm planning with Gallagher. I knew you would of all people and I'm glad. Thanks to Surrealistic for telling me what they thought, and thanks to Anne Fatalism Dilettante for all of the constructive reviews that she's been giving! I'm glad that you like the mystery pieces that I'm adding in, I was really worried that people were going to hate new character introductions! I'll try to keep the pieces running smoothly, but god knows what I'll come up with next...*fear face*. Lapizlazulijavi, I really wanted to write Anew into this chapter, but she'll be coming in the next one. Or two. Probably one. I'm looking forward to when she shows up because then I can stop laying groundwork for Lyle/Rev and I can start going back to picking on the rest of the CB crew. Literary world problems! Sigh.

On a random note, I don't know why, but I've noticed that I like Lyle's POV more than Rev's. I'm not sure if it's because I like setting up camp in his brain and watching what happens, or if I have a secret dislike of OC stories where you only get the OC's perspective, or if I'm just biased and want to write pretty angst. Who knows.

I listened to "Everybody" by Stabilo, as well as "Circles" from Hollywood Undead.

**last note I promise: 'je pense que tu es comme un piece de merde' is 'I think you're a piece of shit', and '...et je ne suis pas ton 'sweetheart'' is 'and I'm not your sweetheart'. The other French is just swearing.

* * *

**Interrogation Island**

"I feel we are all islands - in a common sea."

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Claudine watched with terrified eyes as the little syringe was slipped into her arm again. How had she gotten caught? How had they found out that she was from Katharon? There was no way. Hadn't they been chasing Celestial Being at the A-Laws banquet? Isn't that why they'd rushed outside to chase the purple-haired woman and the middle-eastern boy? Wasn't that it?

The man in front of her stretched his arms and flicked through a file. She was stuck in the interrogation chair, completely unable to move and completely at the mercy of the two men in the room. Blood already ran down the side of her face and over a swollen lip, and if she could see herself she was sure that she'd be covered in expertly placed purple and black marks. She was also sure that no matter what she said she wasn't getting out.

"Are we going to try this again?" the man in front of her asked almost as though he were teaching her to ride a bike. "It would be a pity to ruin your pretty little face any farther.

"Casse-toi, connard!" she snapped. She'd been pretending not to speak a word of English since they'd picked her up, and she'd managed to make the translator they'd brought in pass out when she spattered her with blood from a well-executed fake sneeze.

The second man clicked his tongue at her, smiling lightly under his deep green mask. He'd arrived barely ten minutes ago if she had to guess. He was leaning against the wall as though he was bored, absent-mindedly spinning a data drive in a leather-gloved hand. The first man was the one who had beaten her to this point, but there was something about this newcomer that made her shiver in fear.

"What do you think, Gallagher?" the first man asked, turning to the new arrival.

"I think she speaks English perfectly well." He said. She glared at him, hurtling every insult she could think of at him. "and she's proficient enough to know some very…colourful words." He looked at her. "What opinion do you have, sweetheart?"

"Je pense que tu es comme un pièce de merde!" she said, aptly letting them know what she was thinking. "…et je ne suis pas ton 'sweetheart!'"

The masked man laughed. "She doesn't speak English but she can answer my questions? Stop wasting your time with translators and get somewhere with her." He said, turning to leave the room.

"You speak French?" the first man asked the second, astonished.

The masked man laughed. "Not a word."

"Then how do you know she speaks English?"

"Because she's _thinking_ in English." He replied.

What? He could tell? How could he tell? She was panicking mentally. Was it something in her speech that tipped her off? Was it that she'd actually answered the question?" But neither of them spoke French so they couldn't know that. She mulled scatteredly over the last ten minutes. How had he figured it out?

The man looked at her and laughed. "Ah this is going to be so much fun. Stahn, you're free to go. I'm taking over from here." He said, turning back from the door and watching the other man scurry out. If the man that had been interrogating her was scared of the masked figure, she knew her fears were completely founded. She couldn't be alone with him. She couldn't let this crazed, masked person near her! She struggled against the chair but her muscles were sluggish and nonresponsive from the injection they'd given her. She looked up in fear as he sat down across from her, chestnut hair falling over the deep green mask that matched his A-Laws uniform impeccably.

"I want to be very clear. You aren't leaving here. You will die here." He said. Her breath caught in her throat. How could he say that so casually? She felt her stomach swim and her eyes blur with tears. She cursed herself for being so readily emotional. His gloved hand caressed her bruised cheek delicately, his voice slipping to a tone that was meant to console. "Oh, I know. It's so sad. Your pretty, young life ending here. It's a tragedy…" he was mocking her, and she was going to die, and she was more scared than she'd ever been in her life. His thumb lightly tapped her swollen lower lip, making her flinch. "…but before you do, you're going to tell me everything I want to know."

* * *

"What do you mean, '_you don't know'_!?" Tieria's glare was as determined as she'd ever seen it, but she wasn't bending to him at all this time. They'd alternated between yelling at each other and quietly arguing for the better part of four hours and both showed no signs of being the first to roll.

"I mean, _I don't know!_" Reverie snapped. "_He_ was in _my_ head! I have no idea what he saw!"

"Except the weapons systems of Ptolemy, your identity, mine and Setsuna's identities, _and_ possibly the identity of our tactical forecaster!? _That's_ _not nothing!_" he said, his hair actually looking slightly out of place. He was frustrated and furious.

"_I know that!" _she snapped again. She was exasperated. They kept going around the same bush hour after hour, yelling at each other over the same things repeatedly. Tieria was obviously angry about the entire mission and was taking it out on her, but she had no way of answering his questions.

"How could you let this happen!?" he demanded, his face almost twitching.

"_Excuse me!?_" She yelled. "How could I possibly let my mind be picked through when as far as I knew _I was the only telepath in the world!?_ People _can't_ hide things from me! That's the point! There's no way to hide things in your head forever when I'm listening!"

"Didn't you listen to _him!?_" Tieria interrogated, his tone calming.

"Of course I did!" but there was nothing useful behind that jade green mask. There wasn't a single thing that she could use from him other than the one thing she wouldn't tell Tieria: that she knew his voice. What would it accomplish to tell the infuriated Meister? He'd undoubtedly grill her about it, then of course he'd drag Lyle in the room for a round of verbal lashing, and at the end of the day nothing would come of it.

"_And!?"_

"And there was nothing I could use! No information per se, no useful memories per se, nothing useful other than the fact that _he could hear me!_" Of course, she'd been preoccupied with getting away from him, but she'd swallow poison before she told Tieria that she'd abandoned the purpose of her mission, even if it _was_ for a major security risk.

"Like he wasn't thinking about anything useful, or like he had no memories?" Tieria asked, his voice dropping to a conversational tone with frightening suddenness.

She thought about it for a long, calculated moment before responding. "Like he had fake memories."

"Fake memories?" he asked, his gears clearly turning.

She nodded. "He had the images and words of his memories in his head, but there were no details." She said, trying to sum up what she'd seen. "There were no smells, feelings, no emotions attached to any of the images." It had been strange, and she'd only had the chance to think about it in the pub while she waited for them to send someone. "I didn't get to see many of them, but the few that I did see were like that. As though he'd been told that those were his memories but he had no attachment to them."

Tieria was silent for a moment as he mulled over the new information. "And you said he's piloting for A-Laws?"

She nodded. "Their latest model."

"How skilled is he?"

"Skilled enough to warrant a model made to his specifications, and important enough to be on a first-name basis with Arthur Goodman and Homer Katagiri." She replied. That was something she _did_ know.

Tieria was silent again, then exhaled. "The bigger mystery is how he ended up with your abilities."

Didn't she know it. "I wouldn't put it past the A-Laws to use the data the AEU had on me to make someone else with the same abilities. There must be a file on him somewhere."

Tieria shook his head. "No. We won't find anything on him." He said.

"Have you looked already?" Reverie asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Feldt is running a thorough search now, but I think we both know that it would break too many human rights laws for the A-Laws to actually admit that they'd tampered with someone neurologically. Even aside from the thought-hearing itself, the fact that they'd possibly erased memories would result in public upheaval if it were ever discovered."

How had she not considered that? It was true. It was so true it was slapping her in the face. "So who is he, then?"

It was Tieria's turn to say the words. "I don't know."

"What _do_ we know?" she asked, realizing for the first time that her throat was hurting from all the yelling they'd been doing.

"Well, we know that you definitely can't be trained any farther with Ptolemy's systems, and that you can't be around for any mission-specific briefings." He said calmly.

"_What!?"_ _that_ made her angry. "But _anyone_ on this ship could have their thoughts overheard!" she said, feeling like a yelling match was about to ensue again. "You can't expect me to sit around and do nothing until we figure this guy out! That could take weeks or months, or he could die and we'd never know!"

"Anyone's thoughts can be read indeed. Reverie Traum, _you_ have read everyone's thoughts. _That_ is why you can't be around anything or anyone of importance until we figure out what to do."

It was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her.

_She_ knew the most about the ship, she suddenly realized. She knew the people, their identities, their stories, their hopes and aspirations. She knew Celestial Being inside out. She knew how much money they needed to run, where their bases were and the names of all their major supporters. She knew enough to destroy them. It wasn't like she'd actively tried to find this information out, but when you could hear the ships' crew you heard a lot more than just their day-to-day gripes.

She stood so quickly that her chair teetered on two feet before hitting the wall, then she was out the door.

"Reverie Traum, where are you-!"

Tieria's words were cut off as the door closed.

How could he expect to keep her away from work? She could hear everyone on board the ship at all times, whether she was working or not. She was a liability just walking through the halls. Of course the idea of her leaving the ship was now completely out of the question, but wasn't the idea of her staying just as bad? Wouldn't she continue to overhear conversations and battle plans and sensitive discussions as long as she was on-board?

It was a perfect example of Catch 22.

She stalked quickly through the halls, completely irritated and frustrated and in thorough need of a distraction. She stopped at Lyle's door, and knocked on it impatiently.

_-Does he really expect me to play telephone with Sumeragi? I'm a spy, not a god-damned messenger pigeon.-_

"_What?"_ he snapped through the door, clearly as irritated as she was.

"It's me, you free?"

"Yeah, just give me a sec."

She sighed in frustration and leaned against the wall. "Fine."

She listened as he finished the call, stating training as his reason for leaving. She listened as the man kept him on the phone, and then she kicked herself for listening. She wasn't supposed to anymore. How could she deal with that? Her mind was permanently set to 'eaves-drop', so much so that no one was offended by her overhearing their conversations anymore. They just assumed that she couldn't stop, which was true.

The door slid open with frustrated speed and Lyle cursed under his breath as he tossed his contact drive back onto the desk before meeting her in the hall. "Range?" he questioned, clearly not interested in delving into the details of the conversation he'd been having. She could hear him mutter in his head that shooting while frustrated meant lower scores, and she also heard him kick his sensible self mentally and warn '_not with semi-automatics!'._

Good. That was exactly the kind of raw destructive power she could use at the moment.

"Range." She agreed.

* * *

They made quick work out of the distance between Lyle's room and the range only to be disappointed. As their unfortunate luck would have it the automated system was being debugged and they were told by a frustrated Ian to go and get a coffee and not hold their breaths.

That was why they found themselves in the pilot's lounge, lazing about and dully tuning out the feed of news that was on constant repeat on the massive screen in the room. Neither of their postures indicated just how frustrated or tense the other was, but each seemed to understand that it was a horrible, drawn-out day. Lyle watched as Reverie examined the imperfections in her coffee mug as she lay stretched out on one of the sofas, her feet sitting comfortably on an armrest.

"Is Tieria still in one piece?" he asked, Reverie having just finished summarizing the infuriating interrogation. From the sounds of it Tieria was coming unravelled.

"Until further notice, although I wouldn't be surprised if he spontaneously combusted. He's working himself up way more than he needs to." She said, sniffing her coffee and wrinkling her nose. The coffee as usual was strong enough to eat through steel, although today that was welcomed rather than scoffed at.

"I'm not so sure he is" Lyle said, absentmindedly swirling his cup. "You know a lot, Rev. Who knows what that guy managed to find in your pretty little head."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but the majority is personal stuff about the crew. He'd have to really dig to find anything useful."

"What about the weapon systems?" he pointed out.

"They really aren't that different from what's available in the military at the moment…and I don't know exactly what it is that makes them unique. Without that he can't really use what he found." She said. It made sense. Talking about the possible security breach of her abilities wasn't something that either one of them wanted to continue thinking about, he sensed. Her downcast expression was enough to tip him off.

"How much do you know about me?" he asked. He didn't know where the question came from and he was shocked as the words left his mouth. As long as they didn't involve comparing him to his brother, he didn't care about others opinions of himself. That was fundamental to his personality. Reverie didn't know his brother, so why did he care about what she knew of him?

"Do you want the light stuff or the heavy stuff?" she asked.

It was an intriguing question all on its own. He decided he didn't want either. As long as he didn't know what she knew about him, he could leave his mask on. That was fine with him.

"Neither, actually." He replied. She seemed relieved. Maybe she didn't want to pull the mask off him just yet. "I don't feel like hearing about myself." He clarified. He heard enough of himself in his head, after all. What did he know about her?

_That_ was interesting. Did he know anything about her other than what he'd witnessed?

He didn't.

"Oh? No self-absorbed introspective?" she quipped, sending him a grin.

"No. just sudden curiosity." He sipped his coffee, letting the taste distract his thoughts.

She tilted her head. "Why?"

"You know more about me than I probably want to admit to, but I don't know anything about you." He wanted to. It only seemed fair, after-all she had an all-season pass to his mind…couldn't he get away with a few questions?

She nodded. "True. Well, what do you want to know?"

He sighed as he picked through the list of things that he could think of off the top of his head. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-five."

"How long did you live in Germany?"

"Nineteen years. I spent three years in Marseilles for school and three bouncing from base to base all over the AEU." She said, replying to his next question before he could ask it. It felt strangely uncomfortable to be interrogating her like this, but they were both bored and he was interested.

"Why don't you have a German accent?"

"Why don't you have an Irish one?" She quipped, grinning. "I got rid of it when I realized that it was interfering with my pronunciation in my other languages, and when I ran from the military it was much easier to stay hidden when I didn't have the accent outside of Germany." She answered the question anyways, not necessarily expecting an answer from him. He'd let his accent drop when he'd entered business school. Of course like her he could turn it on when he wanted with minimal difficulty, but you climbed the career ladder much faster with a flat American style of speech. It was insulting and annoying, but he had been willing to play. He'd hid it for so long that now it had become normal, his accent a reminder of a time in his life that he'd rather not remember most days.

"Anything else?"

He thought long and hard about his next question. There was one that had been sitting in his head for the last few weeks, ever since the incident at the Katharon base. He weighed his options carefully before slowly asking it.

"Why do you hate your stepfather?"

A flicker of shock flashed across her face and was gone as quickly as it had arrived. "Getting heavy, I see." She muttered. He wasn't sure if she was angry or just surprised.

"I'm just using my questions wisely." He pointed out. "After all, your relationship with your stepfather could interfere with Katharon, couldn't it?" In truth he didn't give a damn about it for Katharon, he was just outright curious.

"Lyle, can you give me enough respect to be honest with me?" she asked, her blue-grey eyes laughing and accusing at once. She knew that he was interested purely out of his own curiosity. Of course she did. It was a dig, and it hurt because she'd called him on his dishonesty.

"Fine. I'm curious." He said, running a hand through his hair. He wasn't sure why he did it, maybe a nervous tick after being reprimanded.

"That's better." She said, shifting to a sitting position. She set her mug down on the table and stared at it as though she was trying to find the words.

Finally she sighed. "Did you ever ask him how he got that scar?"

He shook his head. He'd never bothered to ask the German why his scalp looked like it had gotten in a fight with a cleaver. It definitely made him memorable though, the deep purple, zig-zagging scar stopped the hair from growing on one side of his head after-all. It was impossible to ignore.

She sighed again and was silent for a moment. Was she ignoring the question, or was she still thinking?

"I'm just trying to figure out if I want to tell you about it. It might give you a different impression of me…" she said, passing the handle of her cup from one index finger to the other. She still hadn't looked at him.

"You don't have to tell me, Rev. It's fine." He voiced, as though it was expected.

"No. You're curious, I'll tell you. It's only fair after what I've seen of your past." She was silent again after that and he stayed the same, not wanting to interrupt her thought process or learn which part of his past she was talking about.

"My mother met him after I left for training with the AEU, a year after my father passed. He was working in Frankfurt and stopped in at our coffee shop every week on his way through Dusseldorf…I guess they took a liking to each other. Either way, I was gone for three years and only came back after my…accident."

He noted the way she said accident. It was strange and clipped, like she hadn't quite accepted the idea that it was an accident yet.

"I had run from the AEU facility I'd been in and made my way home. From the minute I met him I didn't like him. His thoughts were dishonest and calculated…like he didn't even know the truth if he wanted to tell it. Everything he'd told my mother about his education, his work, even his previous marriage was a lie."

Her brow was furrowed as she stared her coffee down, her blue-grey eyes filled with a look that he imagined was in his own often; supressed rage.

"I was livid. As the weeks went on I couldn't sleep unless I was downing mouthfuls of pills, something that I kept hidden from my family as much as possible. Deiter was fourteen at the time and I didn't want him to see me taking them, and my mother would have had a breakdown if she'd realized how badly I'd been changed. Regardless, eventually Bruns saw me taking them one night when I thought everyone was asleep. He stayed silent about it and I didn't think anything of it for the next week or so."

She stopped and sighed. She was coming to the hardest part. Lyle couldn't help but feel like he didn't deserve the honesty that she was giving him…like somehow he'd become too dishonest over the years to be gifted with truth from a friend. He'd become estranged from the honest boy that he once was.

"I'd kept my mouth shut about his lies. I couldn't explain how I knew, and I didn't want to ruin my mother's happiness, fake or not. It was a relief to see her happy after my father died. I was content to quietly dislike him until one night. He came home late from the bar. Apparently he was a drinker and my mother had been begging him to stay sober until I got my feet under me again, but he'd stopped on his way home and lost control. When he stepped in the door his thoughts were all rage. He was angry, he was looking for a fight, and my mother was more than willing to give him one…she's always been headstrong."

Lyle bristled at the idea of what she was about to say. There was nothing in the world that he loathed more than abusive men. He wasn't the best pick of the bunch admittedly, with his avoidance of commitment and habit of playing women's feelings just a little too far, but he would _never_ be like the men who were abusive. They were weak and disgusting, and he felt a slow burn of anger start to rise against the scarred Katharon member.

Reverie chuckled, drawing his attention back to the story. "No, he didn't hit her." She said bitterly. "I didn't give him the chance. My mother tore out of the house after he'd called her an assortment of colourful things and he decided he was gonna go after her. I heard the thoughts he was having, about what was waiting for her if he caught up to her. Fists and bottles and almost definitely a hospital trip…" she paused. Her coffee cup sat perfectly still now, as though she'd forgotten to keep fidgeting "…I hadn't been sleeping well, you see. After he saw me take the pills I hadn't taken them again. I'd been up in a daze for six and a half days and…I'm not exactly sane when I'm like that. I wasn't sane when it all happened…"

She had yet to tell him what had happened. There was a dark tone in her voice that he didn't recognize. That was a lie. He recognized it, but he'd never expected to hear it in his friend's voice. It stood in stark, mocking contrast to the carefree tone she'd had in the range the week before.

"…I locked the garage door so he couldn't drive off and I…" she paused, her eyes flicking to him and back down. "…I started tearing into the car with one of my father's crowbars. Smashing lights, smashing windows, smashing anything I could. Eventually I reached him." A slight grin pulled at her lips. She was proud. Lyle couldn't blame her. "I don't remember exactly how it happened. That's the benefit of insomnia…asleep and awake blend together after a certain point and everything starts to become unreal. The one thing I clearly remember from that day though is how absolutely, pathetically scared he was. He was shaking, begging, clawing at me and trying to keep himself in the car, as though I was some kind of monster that he had to shield himself from."

_Reverie_ had that kind of a side to her? Bruns Muller wasn't a small man. He was tall, a bit shorter than Lyle, and made of the kind of muscle that came with being alive for half a century. He was solid, like a rock. Reverie was strong for a woman, but not _that_ strong.

"Oh, _I_ didn't hit him, if that's what you think." She said, responding to his thoughts again. "He tried to make a break for it and I sent the garage door down on him. _That's_ how he got the scar. Of course, the story didn't end there. Once my mother came back and saw what had happened she called the police and they swarmed to the house right away. Luckily I got out of there in time to avoid being dragged back to the AEU facility, but the damage was done. By the time I came back Bruns had shown her the numerous bottles of pills I had and had convinced her that I was a drug addict who couldn't be trusted, and that if I stayed I'd corrupt Deiter and put them all in danger."

"And she believed him?" he asked, the idea seeming completely ridiculous. How could she so readily accept the words of a batterer? Could a mother really turn her back on her daughter so easily?

"I think she wanted to, to be honest. Ever since my father passed she hasn't really looked at me the same way. I think she sees too much of him in me. My eyes, my height, my hair, even my laugh and walk. I'm definitely my father's daughter and she can't handle it. It's easier for her to believe that I'm a drug addict than it is for her to have to see me every day and remember that he's dead."

Her mother couldn't look at her for the same reason that so many in Celestial Being looked at the ground when they saw him. A reminder. They were both reminders of what had once been. Reminders of people who had been integral to happiness, who were the reason that the others around them were content. They were dead men walking…visible ghosts come to haunt those who were left alive. "How did your father die?" he asked, as though he hadn't heard enough of her personal history. Hadn't he had enough?

"It's alright." She said, smiling and raising her mug to her lips again. Her voice lost its dark edge. "He was a firefighter and was caught in a building when it collapsed. He was your typical local hero, the one in the newspaper with a baby in one hand and an axe in the other, covered in smoke and running out of some inferno. I don't think I ever saw Deiter look at him with anything other than stars in his eyes."

"Sounds like one hell of a dad." He said.

She smiled, the same carefree smile he'd seen on the range not so long ago, then her eyes took on a hint of what seemed like sadness. He didn't understand it. Whenever his surviving family remembered his parents and Amy, there was always anger and hatred in their eyes. There was always the undercurrent of injustice and retribution. Whenever Tieria or Setsuna or even Feldt looked at him they gave him the same stare, the one that said they'd destroy the person who'd ripped his brother away from them. It wasn't a happy look. They had no happy memories, just the drive for vengeance. They weren't the carefree memories that Reverie was definitely having at the moment, across the table but a million miles away.

"He was." She nodded. The carefree smile stayed on her face as she finished her coffee and examined the bottom of her mug.

He shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't sure what to do or what to say. Even if he did do something or say something, why would he be doing it? To comfort her? To apologize for invading her privacy? To be a shoulder to lean on? He'd never been one to do any one of those three things. He hadn't needed to do any of those things once he'd left for boarding school all those years ago, secretly promising to never return again. He didn't comfort people, especially women. In fact, he was normally the catalyst behind them _needing _comfort, cold-hearted, jaded, and non-committal as he was. Privacy? He was a spy. Being a shoulder? She wasn't crying or breaking down or yelling, she was sitting and sadly smiling at a cup of coffee. What was the response for that? A hug? He didn't hug. What did she want him to do? _What did she want from him?_"

"You know…" she started. His eyes darted between her and the cup, not that she was seeing the uncomfortable gesture. "…I don't want anything from you, Lyle."

What? Such sharp words but said in a tone that assured him she wasn't trying to cut him. "What?" he asked, his head tilting ever so slightly.

"Your friendship is enough. You don't need to comfort me or worry about me falling apart. I'm fine, Lyle. I've gotten over it. Fathers die every day, families fall apart every day, and I'm not naïve enough to believe that it couldn't happen to me. I don't need you to pat me on the back and tell me it'll be alright. I know it will be. It's been alright for years. What happened isn't anything more than the cruel and ruthless natural process of a family, and I'm alright with that."

She was something strange. Something strange and yet completely familiar. She'd just told him the same thing he'd told Neil over a decade ago when he demanded to know how Lyle could let go and move on. When he'd _accused_ him of moving on. "Why not me."

She looked up at him in curiosity then nodded in understanding as he continued to think. People everywhere, all over the world looked at the sky and cried to an invisible man in the sky when their loved ones fell ill and died. '_Why me!?'_ Neil himself had said it all those years ago. '_Why did it have to happen to us?'_ Lyle had a different question. Why not them? '_Why shouldn't it have happened to us?'_ That question had landed him a black eye and a shattered brotherly bond. Did Neil really believe that they were special enough to avoid the fate that hundreds of others had experienced on that day? Regardless of what his brother had believed, Lyle knew the truth.

They weren't.

"Anymore questions?" she asked, finally breaking the silence. Somehow he didn't think he'd need anymore. In that last response he'd learned more about her than he ever thought he would. Those words, arranged in that way, had told him something frightening and intriguing all at once.

She, like him, was an Island too.

An island made of steel and covered with soft curves and a pretty face that hid the titanium underneath.

"Yeah, just one."

"hm?"

"More coffee?"


	12. Perfect Opponent

AN: I had a long AN written out for this, but I lost it twice. I'm going to act like an angry chibi for now and pout.

* * *

**Perfect Opponent**

_"Never take advice from someone who just admitted being devious."_

Stabilo - Flawed Design

In the pilot's lounge, Tieria watched with passive curiosity as Reverie attached a set of electrodes to her for the fourth time in a row. He knew that she knew how to apply them, but he'd had her do it again almost out of boredom. To continue making the system that she'd eventually be using they needed more data on her interactions with the pseudo drives, and they were about to get an excellent chance to gather it when they left the surface and returned to space.

"Done." She said, looking up at him with an assortment of wires attached to her face with soft adhesive pads. She had them all across her body, but the ones on her head made the annoyed look on her face resemble a caricature more than an actual feeling. He checked over each of the connections before booting up the monitoring system for the fourth time. He'd managed to alter an existing neurological testing program to record her brainwaves and physical responses to the pseudo drives, and he wanted to make sure that it would run without a problem during the actual collection process. Marie Parfacy had been instructed in the workings of the program and the process for the actual testing scenario. As he'd be piloting Seravee he'd need someone else to control the influx of data and to keep Reverie's pain in check. They couldn't have her tearing off her electrodes accidentally, after-all.

The hand-held computer beeped to let him know that the program's synchronization was complete and he shut it down. "That's it for today, then." He said, disconnecting the cables from the various palm-sized terminals that were sitting around her. She pulled the electrodes off one-by-one, her eyes not leaving him at all.

"Reverie Traum, is there a reason you're staring at me?" he asked, finally annoyed enough to address her glare.

She looked like she was weighing her response, and he didn't expect her to answer for some time when she suddenly blurted out her response. "What's an innovator?"

_Oh no!_

What should he do? Tell the truth or lie? He'd never been one to lie because he'd never seen the point, but suddenly he understood the urge. Did _he_ even know what an innovator was? Of course he knew the technical definition of innovade, as well as the working definition that Regene Regetta had given him, but did he really _know?_

"A being created to add information to VEDA and help further Aeolia Schenberg's plan." He said. It was a definition of _him_ more than anything else. He wasn't like the others, the ones who claimed they were made to lead humanity.

This didn't seem to appease Reverie though. She looked at him through narrowed eyes as she continued to pull electrodes off her skin. "If that's the case, why are they working with the A-Laws?"

She knew? How did she know? "Excuse me?" he asked, more spiteful than really interrogative.

"At the banquet I was saved by an innovator who called themselves Regene Regetta."

Cold electricity shot through him, and he tried his best to continue to stare at the screen in front of him in disinterest. "Is that so?" he asked. There was no way he'd avoid further questions. The resemblance between himself and Regene was enough to make his head spin.

She nodded. "She said that you're an innovator too."

"He doesn't know what he's saying." Tieria responded, correcting her gender mistake.

"So you've met _him_, then?" The smirk on Reverie's face was impossible to miss. Had she been speaking to anyone else he would have enjoyed her little gender-trap statement of incrimination, but his pride was suddenly inflamed. Damn that woman.

He sighed. "Yes, I have. We're the same type afterall."

"So you're an innovator then?"

Was there a point in lying to her now? Whether or not she could read his thoughts was irrelevant. She seemed to have gained an acute ability to play him. "Does it matter?"

She thought for a long minute before she shook her head. "No."

Just like that? "Aren't you worried that I'll betray Celestial Being and join my own kind?"

She shook her head. "Tieria, you're already with your own kind."

"What do you mean?" That wasn't possible. He wasn't human, he was an Innovade. He was created, not born. He didn't feel emotion the same way, and quite obviously his mind was different because the indignant brunette across from him couldn't hear him think.

"You may not be characteristically human, but you care about everyone on this ship, whether you admit to it or not. Biology has nothing to do with which group you belong to…your loyalty does. You're loyal to Celestial Being, and that makes you more human than you care to admit."

_She's right, you know. Do you think the other innovators feel guilt over human death? Do you think they'd feel loss and mourning like you have?_

Lockon. At the worst possible time. Why did he have to speak now, when Reverie could see his shocked distractedness? He had to get out of there. "I…believe I have work to do with Seravee before the mission. If you have any questions regarding the mission I can answer them at a later time." He said. The words were so transparent that even _he_ saw through them. The expression in her blue-grey eyes told him that she'd picked up on it as well.

"Alright. I'll make sure to go through the plan again so I'll remember what's going on when I'm in pain." She said, playing directly into his avoidance. He was starting to like her more and more.

"Very well. I suggest eating and keeping well-rested until then."

She nodded and he left. He needed to get out of that room and into Seravee as quickly as possible. The strange feeling in his chest was foreign and disconcerting, and he needed to sit in the cockpit of his beloved Gundam and work on something that made sense.

_Emotions aren't supposed to make sense, Tieria._

"Dammit Lockon!" he snapped "Not now!"

There was no response and he found himself walking alone to the hangar again. He couldn't have his dead comrade's voice in his head when his chest was constricting this way and when he was stuck in a moral dilemma. He couldn't have the long-gone Meister's words teasing him as he debated the meaning of his existence.

_If not now, then when?_

He didn't know. "At a later time." He said shortly to the air. Any time but right now. Ever since Setsuna had dangled his membership in the KPSA in front of the twin, he hadn't been able to get thoughts of the future out of his mind. There were two possible futures he could forsee. The one made by the innovators, his own kind, and the one made by Celestial Being, his friends. Which one was the right one? Could he ever know? What if he chose wrong and destroyed everything he and his friends had worked for? Could he ever really work with someone like Ribbons Almark, a man that he himself had called twisted?

No.

He couldn't.

He would find his way to the right future, he just needed time to figure out how.

* * *

Marie poked her head around the doorframe of the pilot's lounge. She was supposed to meet with Reverie, the telepath that Allelujah had told her about. She'd seen the woman on-board and they'd been present at meetings and such together, but they'd never actually said more than 'hello'. She wasn't surprised that they hadn't had a chance to talk yet though. It had only been two weeks since Marie had boarded Ptolemy, and the tall brunette had been gone for one of those, down to the surface with Tieria and Setsuna. The remaining days that preceded and followed the A-Laws banquet had kept both of them busy and running around the ship, and when they weren't running errands or going through training they kept to themselves. Marie was usually with Allelujah, while Reverie seemed to spend her time with Lockon, the Meister that Allelujah didn't really know.

"Miss Reverie?" she asked, stepping into the doorway when she saw the sky-blue uniform jacket slung casually over the back of the sofa.

The woman turned and smiled. "Marie Parfacy, right?" she asked. Apparently she was already ready and waiting, the multiple electrodes in place and the systems for the test already booted. They'd been instructed to be ready to go at a moment's notice, they weren't sure when the enemy's attack would come and they'd only have so much time to carry out the test.

Marie nodded and stepped forward timidly, taking a seat in one of the chairs that was across from the sofa. She wasn't really sure how to interact with others yet. It was something Soma hadn't done unless necessary, and even then it hadn't been in informal settings like this.

"Let me help you out then." the woman said. "You'll have to sit here to keep an eye on the screens and to keep updating my information." She said, motioning to the empty seat beside her.

"Right, I will." Marie took it, sitting and looking kindly at the wire-covered woman next to her. She felt tiny next to her. It wasn't so much their height difference. Three inches wasn't that bad, and she was used to others being taller than her. It was how long the woman's limbs were. Long arms, long legs, a long neck, and a long torso that somehow all came together to make her look more imposing than Marie was sure it was. She heard Soma snicker in the back of her head and she sighed. She was horrible at this social thing.

"I take it Tieria went over the steps of the test with you?" Reverie asked, motioning to the massive screen on the wall of the lounge.

"Yes." Marie nodded. "I'll relay the information about the enemy to you, at which point you will choose a specific machine and attempt to take it down. I'll monitor your brainwaves and pain, and I'll give painkillers as necessary." She said.

Reverie nodded. "Although, I have one small change to add."

Marie looked up, perplexed.

"I'd like you to use as little medication as possible."

"You'll be in pain, though." Marie pointed out. Surely she already knew, but she couldn't actually _want_ the pain. No one wanted pain. Not even Soma.

The woman nodded. "I know. I'm prepared to deal with it. To be honest I need it to be able to take down the machines, I think. It's just a hunch, but I haven't been able to test it. There's never a good time to possibly not take down an enemy machine."

"As long as you're sure." Marie said.

"I'm sure. Even if I beg. You can use your own judgement of course, but please hold off as long as possible, or at least until you can get enough data to stop the trial. I'd rather risk interfering with my abilities once we already have the necessary information."

"I'll do my best." Marie said. To be honest she wasn't really sure what she'd be getting into. Tieria hadn't said much outside of explaining the various processes that she would be monitoring, and he'd cautioned her that if it came down to it she may have to sedate the telepath or even physically stop her from tearing off the electrodes. That alone gave her an indication of exactly how much pain the woman would be in.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a moment before the woman tilted her head and looked at her. "You have another person in you, just like Allelujah, don't you?"

"I…yes." She said, looking down and examining her hands. Why was she embarrassed?

"It's strange, I can hear both of you, but I can only hear Hallelujah when Allelujah is around." Ah, Hallelujah. Marie felt a pang of jealousy at the idea that this woman could hear the other half of her beloved, but she pushed it away. From what Allelujah had told her of his other half, he was something she was much better off not hearing. She couldn't ever imagine not wanting to hear Soma. Soma and she were as much a part of each other as they were independent friends.

"I think I know why that is." Marie said, looking down sadly. It was her fault for attacking Allelujah. She'd been the one to lock Hallelujah away in his inescapable prison in her lover's mind. As much as Allelujah said he was grateful that he couldn't hear the violent alter-ego, she could tell that he missed him, and at the same time she couldn't let go of the guilt. No matter what Allelujah said, she'd taken a part of him away.

"It's alright, you don't have to tell me. It's just an observation after-all." Reverie said. Marie sighed in relief and the woman smiled. "You don't have to worry about your social skills so much you know." She said, changing the topic. "I'm not hard to get along with, and you're doing just fine for someone whose been locked away for most of their life."

"I…It's just…" she looked down again. "It's just hard to know what to say."

Reverie nodded. "That will never go away." She said. "Take it from someone who's always been a little more social than necessary."

"But you talk so easily with everyone." Marie said. It was true. She'd watched the taller woman interact with the other crew, laughing and joking, comforting and just simply conversing. She even managed to get Setsuna to smile here and there. How could she say that interacting was hard?

"Not everyone enjoys my personality, though. Ptolemy is different, but back on the surface it was different."

"Why not?" Marie asked, surprised.

"A lot of reasons. I cross boundaries very easily for one thing, almost accidentally. A lot of people don't like having their personal feelings and beliefs examined."

She imagined it was true. She wasn't worried about crossing boundaries, she barely even knew where to begin to see them. She was worried about saying something wrong. She didn't really know what was right to say. After 'Hello' she was lost. Years of being alone and unable to interact did that, though. Allelujah was easy to talk to, but he hung on her every word and she thoroughly doubted that she could ever say something that would offend him. Other people weren't like that. Others who didn't love her. How did she go about talking to them?

"There's no easy way to go about it other than start." Reverie said, reattaching an electrode. "Once you start to talk you'll figure it out. I don't imagine that you could offend anyone on-board."

She'd already offended Feldt, and she hadn't spoken at all. "I already have." She said, watching the telepath with curiosity this time.

"It wasn't you that offended Feldt. It was her memories, and her loyalty to those who died years ago."

Could memories and loyalty create that reaction in a person? Feldt had been so angry and hurt, and Marie hadn't known what to do other than to stop Allelujah from going after her.

"You've already gotten over the hardest part." The brunette said. "You recognize other's emotions. If you've got that, you've got enough to work with."

Marie suddenly had the realization that the majority of their conversation had taken place without her really speaking. The woman had been responding to her thoughts, and Marie hadn't even noticed. Was she so used to someone else being in her head that she didn't pick up on her lack of speech? She sighed. "I'm sorry, I haven't been saying very much."

Reverie smiled. "You've been saying as much as you need to, I've just been filling in the blanks."

As much as she needed to. Filling in the blanks. Was that what she needed? Could she learn to communicate like this? She decided that somehow she liked the idea that the woman could hear her. It took away the pressure for her to speak her questions and sentences.

"Here we go."

Reverie's voice broke Marie out of her thoughts. "What?"

"I can hear them coming, the alarms will go off any minute. You'd better get geared-up" she said, her voice dropping to a tone that Marie couldn't understand. She slipped her earpiece in so she could hear what was happening on the bridge and she picked up the main monitoring console, setting it in her lap and activating the touch-screen that she'd use to input data onto the massive screen for Reverie to see.

_"Enemy approaching! There's six enemy mobile suits!" _Feldt's voice rang in Marie's ear. She only had to wait for a moment before the GN Radar information splashed across her screen and she saw the six approaching mobile armours.

Reverie groaned and lurched forward, holding her face in her hands. "So many drives…" she muttered through teeth that were already clenched.

"It's because they're trilobytes." Marie said, relaying Soma's information. "They have three GN drives each. I'm putting the radar image on-screen." She said, tapping at the command screen. The image covered the massive wall-mounted screen and Reverie looked up, supporting her head with her hands.

Reverie stared at the screen with frightening intensity before swearing and gripping her head again, crumpling and crushing her face against her knees. Marie heard a low whine tear through the brunette's teeth and she wondered if she should ignore her instructions regarding the pain medication. Could she really run the test if it was already hurting her this much?

"_No!_" she half-snapped. "It's not that….they're just too fast!"

As if a confirmation, they were thrown violently into their seats as Ptolemy started to shoot up through the water at breakneck speed. Reverie's head snapped up and her eyes locked onto the screen in front of her again. Her body remained rigid as she sat forward again, but she didn't seem in pain. She stared at the radar information with an eerie intensity, her eyes unmoving and steadily focused. Why?

"Trans Am…" Reverie said, her eyes not leaving the screen.

It was then that Marie noticed that a faint pinkish light was emanating from a spot on the brunette's head. She sat forward and pushed the hair aside.

A scar.

The scar was glowing along with the whole area around it.

It was glowing like Trans-Am.

* * *

Mr. Bushido had no interest in the current mission. Neither did Graham Aker.

He watched in boredom as suit after suit launched from the carrier and he couldn't come to terms with _how ridiculously dull_ the mission seemed. Stop the ship. Attack before the Gundams launched. Overpower, not out-skill.

Totally, utterly useless.

He was frustrated to say the least. He'd never get a decent chance to fight the double-drive Gundam at this rate. Mr. Bushido told him to be patient and wait for his chance. Graham told him exactly where to shove his patience.

He didn't know exactly when he'd started seeing both sides of himself as separate, but he did. They didn't have their own will, and he knew what each was thinking, but they were so conflicting at times that he wondered if he'd actually split into two people and hadn't noticed.

He sighed.

"Which one's winning?"

He didn't have to turn to know who it was. The only other man who was identified by a mask. Identified by something meant to hide identity. It was enthralling. Ailin Gallagher, the other man with a license, the other man with a mask. He was his comrade as much as he was his adversary…the fact that he could read his mind just added to the intrigue.

"You have to be fighting to have a winner." He replied.

"It sounds like you're fighting to me." Gallagher said, leaning on the railing with him, looking out the expansive window. Somehow they'd become distant friends…not in the sense that an acquaintance was distant, but like a friend that you knew everything about but never spoke to. Respected and revered. By hiding their identities with masks they shared more of themselves with each other than Graham cared to think about. Of course, they wore them for different reasons. Graham wore his as a silent mark of dedication. Gallagher wore his for reasons unknown to anyone. Part of Graham wondered if the man wore the mask simply because showing his eyes would make him too human. He was too cruel to be human. Graham liked it.

"It's not a fight, it's a discussion." He replied.

Gallagher laughed. "Are you sure? That sounds deliberately boring." He mused.

Graham looked at him curiously. "Why?"

"If I could fight with anyone in the world, I'd fight myself." He replied. "Aren't you denying yourself the most interesting battle of all by discussing instead of fighting?"

Graham chuckled. He liked the idea. What if he could fight Mr. Bushido? It was an amazing question. Who would strike first? Who would land the final blow? Who would be afraid of their death? Intriguing, but not what he wanted. He shook his head. "No. My most prominent opponent is out there, running into space as we speak."

"I didn't say your most prominent. I said your most interesting." The man corrected. Graham's mouth pulled into a hint of a smile. Gallagher wasn't bound by right and wrong or fate. He was stuck in a continuing search for whatever was fun and seductively destructive. The more unexpected the better. Of course he would want to fight himself…he was the most unpredictable opponent that Graham had ever met, training or otherwise. Sometimes he wondered what that face would hold if the mask was lifted from it. Would he even be human? Would he be met with an assortment of wires and gears, eternally turning in search of ultimate destruction?

No.

The same thing that made his friend inhuman made him human. No machine could meld cruelty and compassion with such finesse. No machine except for the Gundam.

_His_ Gundam.

His perfect opponent.

Graham examined his friend before changing the subject. "You aren't assigned to this mission?" he asked.

Gallagher shook his head and ran a gloved hand through his hair. "_My_ perfect opponent isn't ready for our battle yet."

He looked at his friend and adversary. Who could he possibly believe was his perfect opposite?

"The original." His tone suggested that he wasn't talking to Graham at all but was musing to himself as he watched suit after suit leave the deck and chase the Gundam's ship. "Isn't it only natural for a copy to want to watch the original burn?"

Graham wasn't listening though. He'd long since zoned out and was now focused on the Gundam's mother-ship, a vibrant pink dot in the sky.

As it left he pondered what he would give to be on it.

* * *

Everything was entering Reverie's mind with frightening clarity and intensity. She felt like her whole body was alive and humming and she'd never focused so intensely in her life. She could hear everything. She could hear all the pilots, Celestial Being or otherwise. She could hear the humming of all of the drives, but somehow there was no pain. More than both of those revelations though, she could _see_ what was happening outside the ship. She wasn't sure how many people's thoughts she was invading to do it, but she could see so many images of the attack that she felt as though she were hanging in the air outside the ship.

"_Reverie, your head…"_

She didn't know how, but somehow she knew that the whole area surrounding the piece of metal in her brain was glowing the coral pink of Trans-Am. She was strangely alright with it.

"_I'm fine."_ She said. Her voice didn't sound like her own.

There was so much information. She was a humming data drive, synced to the world around her. Somehow though the information didn't overpower her at all. She could take it all in, analyze it, and store it away. There was no overload or pain, no fatigue or confusion, just extreme clarity.

She picked up something at the edge of the atmosphere. A mobile suit. Light green and white. It was charging, she didn't know why. She couldn't hear the pilot at all until they spoke. "…_that won't be hard for my Gadessa!"_

Gadessa. She picked through the information of all of those that she could access. It was like sticking her finger in a socket. _So much information_. Power output, operator, cost, schematics. _Innovator._

"_New model mobile suit Gadessa at point 0948 East aiming to change Ptolemy's ascent angle by .03 percent using GN Mega-launcher."_ She said. She couldn't even feel her lips forming the words.

She could hear Marie inputting the information, but she knew it would reach the bridge too late. The ship shuddered as the beam blasted into it. She was too lost in the haze of information to care. "_Enemy mobile suits, six, awaiting Ptolemy's arrival along new trajectory path."_ She said, this time she could hear Marie relay the information verbally.

This was her chance. She closed off the incoming information and was suddenly left in complete silence, the screen ahead of her the only thing she was seeing. Little arrows moved along the screen to tell her where the suits were going. She focused on the one at the center of the formation. The image of it loomed in crystal clarity in her mind and she focused all of her mental energy towards its pseudo GN drive.

The little arrow moved, and moved, and moved.

Then disappeared.

So did the one beside it.

Her mind was processing information so rapidly that she didn't have to ask if she'd been the one to take them down. She already knew. The drives had died, and the suits hung useless in space, pilots cursing.

"_We've reached the limit for Trans-Am, we'll lose the GN field until Ptolemy can recharge."_

She felt the pain crash back into her mind.

Then she felt nothing.

* * *

_"Ka...come back! Hahaha!"_

_She laughed as Deiter chased after her, bounding around on his five-year old legs. He'd grown so fast, it was just yesterday that Ma had handed him to her and told her that he was her new little brother. Hers to cherish and teach to be good. She watched as he picked up his fake fire extinguisher filled with water and started making siren noises. He chased her around, and she didn't want to get wet, she really didn't, but she gave in and hit the ground, pretending to roll. "Help! help! I'm on fire!" she said, flinching as the cold water hit her.  
_

_She was twelve and he was five but she'd never stop playing these games with him. Some of her friends were annoyed when their younger siblings tagged along after them or wanted to play, but she couldn't get enough of it. He was her little brother after-all, hers to protect and nurture.  
_

_"Karen! You know better than to keep him out this late. Deiter, come on, time for the bath!"  
_

_Her mother was standing on the porch. Her tone was chastising but even Karen couldn't miss the smile that was spreading across her face. She wasn't really mad, and Karen wasn't really in trouble, and Deiter wasn't really going to get in the bath. At least not until he surrendered his nightly fight.  
_

_"Come on Didi, let's head inside." she said, kneeling in front of him and ruffling his blonde hair.  
_

_"Ka, are you coming?" he asked, giving her his best puppy-eyes. He was so good at them.  
_

_"After I say hi to Pa." she said. "If Ma says you went in the bath without a fight I'll even bring candy."  
_

_"From your candy bag under your bed?" he asked. He knew about the incriminating bag of sweets, but he also knew better than to tell their mother about it.  
_

_She nodded. "Go see Ma." she patted him on the back. He gave her an inquisitive look before darting accross the lawn towards their mother.  
_

_"Ma! Lets go bath right now! Ka says she'll give me candy!"  
_

_Maybe she'd been too sure of his secrecy. Her mother sent her a glare as she hoisted her little brother up and into her arms, but she knew that her father would agree with her bribery. She suddenly remembered that her father was home. She jogged into the house and made sure to slip her house-shoes on. Her mother wouldn't be so forgiving if she trailed grass all across the carpet, and she already had a scolding waiting for the candy that her brother was no-doubt chatting about. She was twelve though, her mother wouldn't be too hard on her. She was almost a teenager after all!  
_

_She slipped silently into the kitchen and peeked around the corner that lead to the living room. She tried to hide her grin as she was as quiet as she could be.  
_

_"Karen, I know you're there." he said. He always knew, it was one of their secret games.  
_

_"How do you always know, Pa?" she asked, losing the childish tone that she had with her brother.  
_

_He laughed, the deep laugh that she'd become so used to. "Because you do it every day, Karen. You should try to change it a little, then I'll never know if you're hiding or not."  
_

_"Fine, but when I scare you, you only have yourself to blame." she said, sitting on the ground in front of him. She'd never tell anyone, but this was her favorite part of the day. She loved Deiter, she really did, but she missed the days when it was just her and her dad sometimes. Only sometimes though, only for a second. This was enough for her though, when he'd come home from a twenty-four hour shift and she'd sit and watch him empty out his pockets and sort through the assorted things he'd collected while in his casual uniform. Sometimes he'd bring her pieces of this or that. One time he'd brought her a light bulb that had been melted in a fire, and she'd kept it above her bed. It was the coolest thing she'd ever seen, and she'd often stare at it even now. She looked up at him.  
_

_"Pa?"  
_

_"Hm?"  
_

_"I love you."  
_

_"I love you too Karen."  
_

* * *

AN: Alright. I'm done pouting now.

I'm sorry Anew wasn't in this chapter, but as usual I didn't get thorough as much as I wanted to. You have no idea how mad I get when I watch an episode and see that I've only written about half of it. Of course, it kind of helps that I'm not covering much that actually goes on in the show. Still, when I feel like I'm stuck in an episode I have to resist the urge to knock everyone out and timeskip. It hasn't happened yet. I was happy to write Marie in this chapter, and I think I'll be using her much more.

Thanks to PaperXTrain for stopping by! I'm not sure what you mean by wearier, but I'm glad that she comes accross as active and not passive. Thanks to Anne Fatalism Dilettante as well! I went through Chapter 11's document again to get all the little mistakes, so I'll be updating that and hopefully I haven't missed any new ones. Also, thanks to StormyMonday of course who was the person who convinced me to keep writing through the first couple of chapters. Also thanks for calling the story rare! It made my heart melt into a puddle (although my heart is quite puddle-y normally to begin with).

I didn't listen to anything specific to write the above, but on the other hand I've been listening to "Everybody" by Stabilo (yes I'm on a Stabilo bender, alright?) and it's got a line in it that has inspired me to change the ending direction of this story. A pat on the back to the person who can guess what it is.

Let me know what you thought!


	13. Grounded System

AN: This is a chapter that I loved and hated to write. I needed to address a bunch of technical mumbo-jumbo that's going to be relevant in a few chapters, so here it is. Anew is only minimally in this chapter, but then again she was only minimally in the series until episode 18. I plan on writing a few chapters that deal with various points in the time-skip to address the relationship between her and Lyle (because really it was OMG! we have three episodes to make this as tragic as possible!) because it could use some development. I'm not done laying my Lyle/Rev foundation yet. Bear with me. I'm glad that everyone *kind-of* likes Gallagher, or that you're at least intrigued. I actually like him a lot. for some reason when I write him he's always wearing a suit in my head. Strange.

Thank-you to StormyMonday! I tried to address what I meant by that quote in this chapter. I knew it was a little ambiguous when I wrote it, but I wanted to keep it that way for the interaction between Graham and Gallagher.I like Marie and Soma as well, ironically, I think I like Soma more. Not sure why. To PaperxTrain:Ahhh kk, that makes sense. Yeah, I want to give her a contrast between the craziness that she feels when she hasn't slept, and the generally pretty normal person that she is when she's well-rested. We'll see how she feels about CB in the next few chapters...hehehe. To Anne Fatalism Dilettante: Yay! I'm glad you *like* Gallagher. I've based him on a mix of Rau Le Creuset (Gundam Seed) and Dilandau (Escaflowne). I just pity whomever he was before the A-Laws got their hands on him. As for how I write quickly...I just have free time here and there.

Note: I may have reworked the bounds of canon a little in this chapter. I re-watched episode 15 of season 1, and realized that after Allelujah goes unconscious for the second time they don't pay any attention to him for a good ten minutes (as is usual...poor Alle. Even I've neglected him). I made up my own version of what he'd been up to in those ten minutes of the show (so a couple hours in Gundam time). Also, after reading messengercat's 'Ash Like Snow', I pretty much have adopted her fic as Lyle's unofficial history. You should read it. It's beautiful. And snarky.

I listened to "Who Knew" by pink for Rev's dream, then I had my phone on shuffle for everything else. There are probably mistakes, so please let me know and I'll correct them (I have editor-glaze on my eyes today after writing a 5,000 word paper).

* * *

**Grounded System**

_"Everybody takes, and everybody steals, everybody cries when something feels."_

Reverie lay in a recovery unit, almost comatose for the last sixteen hours. Ptolemy had docked three hours ago and she still hadn't woken, even after Shia'd had a chance to consult with the other doctors at Lagrange Three. The monitors surrounding her let off a steady rhythm to let them know she was alive, but she hadn't moved much at all. She was too stubborn to let them know herself, it seemed.

Lyle would know. He'd been there since Cherudim had docked, and he was livid. He and Tieria had argued for easily an hour once they'd happened to run into each other in the infirmary, and Lyle didn't think he'd torn a strip off someone that badly since he'd been working in the stock market. Trading had been a passion while his infatuation with it lasted, and he'd been unforgiving if portfolios slid or prime opportunities were missed.

This was different, though.

This dealt with a person.

"_We aren't as yet sure what caused her issues. She can disclose any information that's discovered as she sees fit."_

Damn that emotionless bastard. He made it sound like she'd be up and flirting around in no time, when in reality they had no idea when she'd wake up. _If_ she'd wake up. She'd been in a non-sedative induced coma since Ptolemy had left Trans-Am, and every passing minute made Lyle want to wring Tieria's purple-clad neck even more. If Reverie didn't wake up he would.

If Reverie didn't wake up he'd be stuck alone again.

It was more than that though. She was his friend, and she was also now his confidante about Katharon. Even aside from those two things, he cared. He was scared of that idea. He cared about her.

That's right.

Lyle Dylandy actually gave a damn about someone.

Wouldn't his brother be proud.

The thought made him laugh under his breath, almost sardonically. When was the last time that had happened? He didn't know, and he didn't want to try to remember. The obvious first choice was Amy, of course. That was different from this, though. Amy was his smart, mischievous, loving, and trusting little sister. This was different. When was the last time he'd cared about someone who was still alive? Someone who'd cared for him? He'd felt something close to caring here and there over the years with this relationship or that, but the women always seemed to have the innate knowledge that if something were to happen he wouldn't be particularly bothered. They were right.

He and Reverie weren't in a relationship though, they were friends. Was he allowed to sit nervously in the infirmary for a friend? He didn't look nervous to anyone who walked by, he knew that much. On the surface he was sitting disinterestedly in the visitor's chair, looking over Cherudim's service reports and idly spinning a cigarette in one hand. Underneath the surface though, he was a mess. He'd read the same sentence four times and he still had no idea what it said.

"Goddammit, Rev." he muttered.

What he'd give to smoke the little cylinder. He'd been doing so well, ignoring the pack of Colts that sat in his room. They weren't his typical smokes, but he'd take what he could get while with Katharon. 'Anything to slowly kill my lungs' he'd joked to Klaus. Right now his lungs were dying for punishment.

What was stopping him?

Ptolemy's systems were for the most part offline while the ship was serviced, so there wouldn't be an alarm. He was pretty much alone, and Reverie would be shielded from it in the recovery unit, so he had no chance of interfering with her treatment. Tieria would be mad, though.

The thought made him happy.

He pulled his lighter from his uniform jacket pocket. His brother's lighter. He kept it there out of habit more than anything else, and right now he was thrilled with his life decision to do so. The smoke felt better than it should have as it burned his lungs. He wasn't quite sure when he'd picked up the habit. Sometime in university, if he remembered right. No one seemed to care when a stressed student lay on the hood of their car in the middle of the night and blew smoke to the wind.

The habit was thoroughly frowned upon by most people, but he didn't mind. If anything he liked it. The barrier of threatening carcinogens kept people away, or made them stare at him as though he were lighting _himself_ on fire. Maybe he had been, he didn't know. No matter why they stayed away, it worked remarkably well. Even in Ireland where people were notably approachable.

That was why he'd been so surprised to wake up one morning and find the silver lighter on his nightstand. The carefully engraved cursive made sure that there was no question as to whose it was. _N. D._ There was no way he'd mistake it as belonging to this girl or that. No, those initials were far too familiar…and he stayed away from women who smoked. He wasn't sure why.

"Um…sorry. I didn't know you were here."

Feldt poked her head around the corner. He wasn't sure how long she'd been there, but he wasn't worried. "Feldt. What brings you here?" he asked, hoping against all hell that he didn't still look like he was gonna kill someone.

"I…" she looked down, then sighed. "I wanted to check on Ms. Traum." She said. He wasn't sure why she was worried about admitting it. Then again, she always seemed to be apologizing for everything. He let it go. "Has her condition changed?" she asked, stepping idly in the doorway.

He exhaled, letting the stream of grey-blue smoke linger. "I'm not sure, I've just been reading some reports." He lied.

"Oh." She said, thinking. "Cherudim's outputs were 3% lower, right? It's strange." She concluded.

"Yeah. I have no explanation for it. Who knows, Ian's probably figuring it out right now." He said, trying to expand on his lie. If she'd held a gun to his head he wouldn't have been able to tell her Cherudim's outputs. That was a strangely scary image, Feldt with a gun.

She studied him from the doorway. "I lied. Its output was normal." Dammit. Observant little Feldt setting up a lie to trap him in. He had it coming. "You're worried about her." She stated.

He sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

"No." She took the other visitor seat and watched as the brunette's monitors paced away. She didn't say anything after that and he wasn't sure if he was relieved or unnerved. He decided he was relieved. He was too wound up to be unnerved. He took another drag and slowly exhaled.

"Feldt?"

"Hm?" she barely looked away from the comatose woman.

"I'm sorry." He didn't have to say for what.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the pink-haired teen turning to study him again with her not-so-teenage expression. She was too serious to be her age. She looked back at the recovery unit. "I know you're not him." She said, almost apologetically.

He watched the smoke rise from the end of the cigarette. "I know."

"Good."

Neither of them said a word after that, sitting in comfortable silence until Feldt slipped away for a calibration on the bridge. Lyle's smoke ran out much to his dismay, but he didn't want to get up to get another one. Instead he stretched, propped his feet up, and fell into a feather-light nap.

If he woke up and Reverie was still comatose, Tieria would be joining her.

* * *

"So this is the system, then?"

The half-completed system that Tieria was staring at was intriguing but annoying at once. He was checking on the progress of the system that Reverie would be testing, and he had to say that he was surprised with how much they'd gotten done in the few weeks since he'd asked it to be designed.

"Well, this isn't the system." Ian said. "Linda and I had been working on a system that would allow all the Meisters to stay connected to the changing tactical forecasts, but we couldn't find a forecaster who could deal with the mental strain. Allelujah tested it out, but there was no way to justify using a super soldier as an information correspondent. Besides, no one else can pilot Arios…not with the kind of G's it pulls."

Tieria raised an eyebrow. He'd been practicing his human gestures. "I'm not sure I follow what you're saying."

Ian sighed. "Well, rather than relying on the Meisters to adapt to new scenarios on the fly, we wanted to have a forecaster that would use the system to create tailored plans for each Meister as new situations arose, minute by minute."

"To minimize the inaccuracy of the forecasts." Tieria concluded.

"Exactly. As it stands now though, there's no way we could have Reverie test the system, so we're adapting it to the specifications you requested. We'll be mounting it to Ptolemy, between the GN Drives before we leave."

Tieria looked at the system. It was centered in what had once been a passenger shuttle aboard Ptolemaios I. They'd removed all the seating and general security, and it was now separated into two sections by a piece of reinforced glass. On one side was a set of monitoring systems and keyboards, six screens spread across the length of the miniature room. On the other side of the glass was what looked like a seat taken from a Gundam cockpit. It had been modified, though. There were cables and wires exposed everywhere, some leading to the terminals on the other side of the glass and others disappearing into the walls. "How long will it take to be finished?"

"We aren't entirely sure." Anew, the woman that they'd been recently introduced to, stepped forward. She'd been calibrating one of the systems that sat on the observer's side of the glass. "The system itself will be ready for testing within the next few weeks if all goes according to schedule. Finding someone to be the operator will be an issue."

"Reverie Traum will be operating it." Tieria said matter-of-factly. He hadn't yet decided what he thought of Anew Returner. Her qualifications were outstanding and she seemed non-confrontational enough, but he would wait until they were in a battle situation to pass judgement.

"Yes, she'll be the 'living terminal', for lack of a better word." Anew said, motioning to the emptier side of the shuttle, the one with the chair. "but someone will have to relay her information and monitor her biometrics."

"Ah. So the system will require two people to operate." That was inconvenient, but workable.

Anew nodded. "From the recordings and medical data that you've given me, it's obvious that Reverie Traum will not be able to both maximize on her abilities and relay information. This is the best solution."

"I see." He said. "Thank-you."

She nodded and returned to the modified shuttle and Tieria mulled over the information. A second person. Who did they have available? There was Marie Parfacy, who seemed like the most likely candidate. If that wasn't an option, then there was also Saji Crossroad, who had proven himself useless for anything else. Other than that there was no one. Maybe a Haro if they had no other choice. Actually, a Haro would be preferable to Saji Crossroad, Tieria decided. A Haro was rational, Saji was not.

With his decision of Marie or a Haro, Tieria left to find Shia Mazarenco. He had several new questions about what had happened during Trans-Am. Something like that shouldn't have been possible, and it intrigued him.

It had also completely ruined his test results.

Somehow he wasn't particularly bothered.

* * *

"_Karen, you have to be strong, for Deiter."_

_Her mother was dressed in black, and her little brother was sitting like a statue on a pew, oblivious to the assortment of people who moved through the room. There were tears in his eyes and somehow he didn't look like a seven-year-old to her, he looked like one of the firemen her father had worked with who'd watched his best friend burn. He looked like the entire sad history of the world was in his eyes…like he could stare for a thousand miles. _

_She couldn't be strong._

_Her father was dead. Her best friend was dead. Her hero was dead._

_She choked on her sobs and nodded to her mother. "Alright."_

"_Now go to the washroom, get a hold of yourself. You can cry after, when Deiter isn't around." She said. If Karen wasn't fourteen and crumbling inside, she probably would have realized that her mother was telling her to do something impossible. She was used to it though. Smile, laugh, pretend everything is alright. The sky is blue and the trees are green and her father is dead, but everything's alright. It was the German way, after all. _

_It took all of her strength to not tear out of the sanctuary and run to the bathroom, but somehow she managed a steady pace as she shuddered with poorly controlled sobs. She nodded sadly to those who approached her. 'Yes, I know, it's terrible.' 'Thank-you so much for being here.' 'Yes, he was a wonderful man.'_

_She didn't even want to feel herself say the words. Finally the washroom loomed and she darted into it, locking the door and sinking down against it. She wanted to scream and break things, to find the person who had started the fire and watch them burn, but she knew she couldn't. The fire wasn't anyone's fault, at least that's what they'd told her. Bad wiring. Old insulation. Who was it that wired the building? Who was it that neglected to replace the insulation? How would they feel if they knew that their laziness had destroyed something so precious? _

_They wouldn't care._

_They'd be just like the dozens upon dozens of people milling about in the church right now. 'Oh, it's so sad.' 'Those poor children.' 'How long until this is over?' She couldn't hear them thinking those thoughts, but they were all over their faces. She wanted to scream at them all and run to her father and demand to know why people could be so fake._

_But her father was gone. _

_The one person who could comfort her was represented in a closed casket. An empty casket. There was nothing left of him, after-all. The chemical fire had seen to that. _

_She couldn't do this. There was no way she could do this. _

_She pulled open the centuries-old window and slipped out of it, not caring that her dress got caught and ripped, or that her shoes were scuffed. Her father wouldn't care. He'd understand. She hit the ground and stood for a moment. _

_What was she doing?_

_Running. _

_She ran. She didn't know where she was running, but she knew why. If she ran fast enough or far enough maybe she'd get back to five days ago, when she'd said goodbye to him as he left for the shift. _

_As he left forever._

_Her lungs burned and her eyes were blurry with tears and her heart was pounding but all she could hear were his last words, with the last kiss he'd placed on top of her head._

"_I love you too, Karen."_

* * *

Shia felt like he was looking at an upset purple Barbie doll. He wasn't sure why, but whenever Tieria Erde was around he couldn't get the insane comparison out of his head. An upset, bespectacled, purple Barbie doll. He cleaned his own glasses furiously, more out of a nervous habit than anything else.

"Well, _she_ wasn't accessing Trans-Am. She didn't bring it on herself, and her whole body wasn't lit up like a holiday light show." He said, settling his glasses back on his face. He'd missed a smudge. Damn it all, he'd have to clean them again.

"I know that. Just the piece of metal in her brain. That doesn't explain how that metal was able to access Trans-Am, though."

He was right. Theoretically, only the metal from a Celestial Being GN drive could have that effect.

"I wasn't really sure how she accessed Trans-Am myself, until I looked at the video footage of the Taklamakan incident. We've spent all of our time assuming that the piece in her brain was a by-product of the Throne Zwei tearing apart the ship she was forecasting from." He pointed out.

"Yes, and?" Tieria was indignant as ever.

Shia sighed.

"It wasn't."

Tieria raised an eyebrow. "…and?"

"Oh, right!" Shia said, slipping his glasses off and scrubbing them again with his pocket-cloth. "It was a castoff piece from Kyrios."

"_What!?"_ Apparently _that _impressed him. Finally something got a rise out of the Barbie. "Wasn't Allelujah unconscious when Kyrios was restrained?"

Shia shook his head. "If you go through the footage from the event, you'll see that the _other_ Mr. Haptism made quick work out of a set of Tierans before Kyrios was brought under control again. In the time he was free, Mr. _H_. Haptism tore into the bridge of the warship that our little firecracker was on. The piece of metal from Kyrios was broken off when the ship targeted its GN Drive, and we can only assume that's when it made its way into Ms. Traum's pretty head. Immediately after, Mr. Haptism lost consciousness again and was brought under control until the Throne models appeared." He said, relaying the pride of his last two hours of labour.

Tieria was silent and processing for what seemed like forever. Shia wanted to know if he'd managed to appease the man, or if he'd have to waste more of his time explaining his findings.

"That still doesn't explain her Pseudo-particle poisoning." He reasoned.

Shia wagged a finger. "Actually, it does."

"How?"

"After our Gundams were rescued by the Throne models, the Throne Drei released a blanket of highly-concentrated pseudo-particles. They found the injury in Ms. Traum's head and attached themselves to it, as they did with all the injuries on the battlefield that day." He breathed after the lengthy explanation. "Kyrios' GN Metal plus Throne Drei's pseudo particles gives you one very interesting little forecaster." He concluded.

"Where does that leave us with her Trans-Am abilities?" the purple-haired Meister asked.

"That's hard to say. We gathered an insane amount of data when it happened due to the test that was being run, but we'll have to do more. We don't know what her abilities are when the metal shard reacts to Trans-Am, and we still don't know what her normal range of abilities are with regards to the pseudo GN Drives. We also don't know what kind of effect it has on her physically, other than putting her in a coma."

"I see." Tieria mused again. Shia hated these conversations with burning passion. Tieria was always lost in his own mind, taking vast amounts of information and giving none in return.

"What theories do you have about the fact that this has only happened once, when Ptolemy accessed Trans Am?"

Shia shrugged. It should have been easy enough for Tieria to deduce for himself, but he'd play along. "I'd have to say intensity. It took three Gundams accessing Trans-Am to get the reaction."

"Well enough." He said. "You've been of incredible use. Take this drive and examine the progress reports on the biometric monitoring of the system we're building for her."

Shia took the drive that Tieria handed him and turned it over, examining it. "I will."

"Good."

With that, the Barbie walked away.

* * *

_Beep, beep, beep._

Reverie was still unconscious. Lyle had lightly napped for an hour and he wasn't entirely surprised that she hadn't so much as moved.

"You're too stubborn for your own good, Rev." he muttered. He weighed the pros and cons of going to get his pack of smokes, but a strange noise caught his attention. It was strange and mangled. It happened again, and he realized it was Reverie.

Was she choking?

He stood and looked down at her through the Plexi-glass of the recovery unit. She wasn't choking, she was _crying_. He glanced at the monitors before pushing the release for the recovery unit. She'd be fine, her treatment was finished. What was he doing? Did he even know? He didn't and he didn't think about it. He sat on the edge of the stiff mattress.

"Wake up, Rev." he said, watching for a response. She wasn't sobbing or crying uncontrollably, just lightly shuddering with her tears.

He shook her shoulders lightly. "Rev, it's a dream."

She stirred, then opened her eyes. They were confused and unfocused for a moment before she turned her head the slightest amount and looked at him. "Lyle?"

Relief. He could feel it almost crash over him, she was fine. She recognized him, and she was awake. He nodded. "You alright?" he asked, trying to keep a casual tone.

Her mouth twitched and a flash of something strange passed over her face. She shook her head, just a slight indication of what was going on inside. He realized that his hands were still on her shoulders and he pulled back to stand, but she stopped him, grasping his uniform jacket. "No."

He relaxed, sinking into the stiff mattress again. He didn't know what to say, or even if he had to say anything. Her lower lip trembled. "I'm not." She stifled a sob and her slender, strong shoulders shook.

"I'm not alright at all!" She pulled herself against his chest, gripping his shirt and burying her face in his shoulder. Somehow, the shock that he expected to come didn't and he wrapped his arms tentatively around her, then held her strongly against him. She was so small, curled up against him like this. It seemed like she fit perfectly against him as she struggled to hold in her tears.

He didn't want her to. "It's alright, Rev." He wanted her to let go. He didn't know why, but he didn't care why. "Let it out."

He felt her stifle another sob, then stop, and then he felt her let go. He rested his chin on her head and held tight, as though he could keep her grounded somehow. Her trembling hand grasped his jacket collar desperately as her sad cries turned to anger, then back to shaking sadness.

She pulled back and stared up at him, confusion clearly swimming in her eyes. "Why are you doing this for me?"

He didn't know. He didn't have an answer at all. His eternally strong but deceptively delicate friend was clinging to him for comfort and he knew that it would be wrong - no - almost inhumane to turn a friend away at a moment like this. He'd stayed up nights with memories of his family before, alone, confused, and shaken. He knew how deep those memories could cut. "because I know."

She didn't respond, but her gaze remained steadfastly on his. Her confused expression gave way to something he couldn't quite pinpoint. He pushed the hair out of her eyes. She swallowed, hands still buried in the collar of his uniform jacket.

Before either of them knew what was happening, their lips met. It wasn't a kiss that either had shared before. It wasn't one written about in stories, or anything so poetic. It wasn't one in the heat of the night with a lover. It was one of understanding.

_I know._

He was an island, she was lost, and he'd keep her grounded as long as he could.

* * *

What Tieria had just heard answered an infinite amount of theoretical questions. For example, it explained why Reverie showed a particular fondness towards Arios' GN Drive. Kyrios' GN drive had been broken down and used for parts among the various Gundam's drives, but the majority of the components had been used for Arios.

It also explained why she loved the GN drives in general, and why she could influence the pseudo-drives to such an extent. The GN Drives that Celestial Being possessed were far superior to the ones that the A-Laws had.

He had a sudden new thought.

Did that mean that Reverie was superior to the masked man from the banquet, the A-Laws telepath?

The one who was working with Regene?

_That_ was an interesting question.

Feldt hadn't found anything of use on the man, other than a standard record of service with the A-Laws. Tieria hadn't expected her to. If they were playing with that kind of experimentation, it was likely that the man had originally been a prisoner of war. Someone who didn't exist according to the A-Laws.

He pulled out his information drive and activated it, flipping through files until he found the one pertaining to the man.

_Name: Gallagher, Ailin_

_Age: Twenty-Nine_

_Height: 186cm, 6'1"_

_Weight: 150.1lbs_

_Rank: Captain_

_Occupation: Pilot, Advanced Marksman_

The file went on to detail when he'd entered the military, where he'd lived, and the training courses that he'd taken. Tieria doubted that any of it was real. The picture though, _that_ was real. Just chestnut-brown, unruly, short hair that fell over a deep jade-green half-face mask. The smile that fell under it was best described as sinister. There was no explanation for the mask, just as there was no explanation for why he'd been gifted with a license to do whatever he wanted. The file completely ignored his mental capabilities.

Tieria's eyes narrowed as he read it. This was the A-Laws substitute for Reverie Traum. A substitute that could only compare to the original if the steel in his brain was from a Celestial Being GN Drive. Tieria had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't.

He wanted more information on this person, this unnerving source of worry.

He'd find it.

Somehow.

Of that he was certain.


	14. Awkward

AN: OMG, longest weekend ever, and longest chapter ever, and most _unintentional_ chapter ever. I ended up somehow partying this whole weekend which is absolutely unheard of for me, and I still made it to my 8:30am class on Friday (I felt extremely victorious, let me tell you). I _did_ undo a lot of the progress I made as far as quitting smoking goes, but I'm determined to not 'backslide' like that again. Curse you Lyle and your smoking scene! *shakes fist*. This chapter unfortunately has little action in it and is mainly a foundation developer, but I hope you'll like it. The next couple of chapters will be action-filled (memento mori, outrunning A-Laws, etc), so I took a 'breather chapter'. I mildly considered taking out the trans-am part but I left it in. Also, I try to imply that time is moving during the story, and in my head Rev has been with CB for probably two to three months at this point.

Thanks to those who reviewed! Lapislazulijavi: yeah, I write when I need to smoke, and the last couple of weeks have been hell. Add onto that the fact that I'm actually really excited about this story and you get an insane update rate. I was too tired to keep up my crazy rate this weekend, though. Stormy: No worries, I've been in a whirlwind this weekend where all my days blended together, and from the sounds of it you're pretty tied up on your end too. I'm so relieved that the explanation made sense. I feel like it makes sense in my head, but when I write it it sounds jumbled, so I do it over and over. Sigh. I underastand the warm and fuzzies :P. Anne: Thanks :D! Yeah, some days I feel like tieria could have single-handedly taken down A-Laws. He's just so damned stubborn and determined, but I'm starting to love it.

I listened to a mix of things for this, mainly photographs -Rihanna and This Love, This Hate, HU.

**I'm quite bad with fluffiness, so please let me know if it was alright. I'm not a fluffy person at all, so I can find it hard to write emotional-ish stuff because I find it hard to deal with. I think that reflects in Rev quite a bit, unfortunately. As we know though, Lyle is capable of being sweet if he puts his mind to it.

* * *

**Awkward**

_"It's only awkward if you let it be."_

_Silvia Donahue  
_

Reverie stood in front of Tieria, listening as he explained the process of testing her Trans-Am abilities. He'd come up with the hair-brained scheme to have her sit on Double-Oh's foot while they tested it with the Oh-Raiser, and somehow she was agreeing. According to him, having her in-contact with a Gundam that was accessing Trans-Am should activate her newfound abilities again.

She didn't care.

Her mind was still reeling over what happened three hours ago. Her mind was on Lyle. He'd stayed with her for half an hour as she brought herself back under control. She'd been embarrassed and apologized over and over again for clinging to him and sobbing over events that had happened eleven years prior. That wasn't what was keeping her mind occupied though. Oh no. She could have kept that out of her mind easily enough. Her mind was reeling because they'd crossed a line.

They'd kissed.

They'd stepped across the boundary of friendship and she wasn't sure what to do about it. Even now as she stood and thought, she didn't know who had moved first, who had parted their lips first, or who had been the first to break away. She'd been completely lost in the moment and she wanted to go back in time and smack herself. She should have known better, no matter what kinds of lust the intimate gesture had evoked.

She wasn't bothered because of the kiss itself, she'd kissed and been kissed, and she had no allusions about it meaning anything concrete. She was bothered because of the feelings that she'd felt from him with her unusual abilities. Nothing like love, thank-god, but she'd felt the sense of worry that he'd had, the relief, and the wanting. He wanted her. She wanted him, too. She didn't want anything specific from him, but she wanted him.

It was dangerous.

"Reverie Traum, are you even paying attention?"

Right. She was listening to Tieria. She nodded quickly and sighed. "Be here in an hour, I'll probably pass out again, I could get hurt. Got it."

Tieria sighed and shook his head, clearly not pleased with her summary of what he'd just said, but not willing to go through it again. "Yes, that's it. Now go eat and come back." He stalked away in a huff, not pleased but clearly having too much to do to deal with her any farther.

That was fine.

She wasn't in the mood to deal with his attitude. She had too much tearing through her mind to deal with him. She left the repair hangar and headed for the cafeteria of the hidden base. She hadn't told Tieria, but she'd eaten before meeting with him, right after Shia had cleared her to return to work. She could use a coffee though, and she could use the time alone to think about what had happened.

The cafeteria was easy to find and Reverie was surprised to see how expansive it was. It had several serving lines for the staff and a sea of tables that had an impressive, almost lonely amount of space between them. Tall television screens stretched all along one wall, presumably meant to feel like windows that looked out into space. She poured her coffee quickly and chose a table that was near one of the gigantic screens. The smell of her coffee filled her nose, a hint of hazelnut in the richly caffeinated scent.

Somehow she found looking at the vast blackness of space comforting. It reminded her that all of her problems, no matter how severe, were tiny in comparison to the universe. It didn't feel that way though. She sipped her drink and let it linger on her tongue as she thought. She'd had the suspicion for quite a while that something would happen between her and Lyle. She'd expected that one day they'd take their flirting too far and wake up tangled in his sheets or hers, bodies aching but satisfied. She hadn't expected this. She hadn't expected to share so much emotion with him, nor had she expected him to stand by her if she made such a display. She knew him quite well through his thoughts and through their conversations, and it was that knowledge which told her that they were far out of both of their comfort zones.

She knew that Lyle didn't have a long history of commitment or attachment. He could be sweet and attentive, but from what he thought of past relationships, she knew those displays weren't necessarily tied to anything. She'd never bothered with relationships. From the time she'd entered the academy she'd devoted all of her time to studying and getting ahead in her career. She'd been with men before of course, but she'd never searched for anything past a casual relationship. She liked the simplicity of casual. There were no promises to break, there was no trust to ruin, and she didn't have to share more than she was willing to. There was just the ease of knowing that needs would be filled. She knew that Lyle would agree, his thoughts told her so. She'd listened to him think about the possibility of _them _having one of those relationships more than once.

Still.

That kiss hadn't come at a casual time. It hadn't been after a hard days' work or after one teasing comment too many. It had come after she'd cried in his arms for half an hour about a father that had been taken too soon. It was uncomfortable. It was too close, too real. What was even more disturbing was that she hadn't heard the thoughts she'd expected from him. While it was clear that they wanted each other, he hadn't had any explicit lust. He wanted her in a different way. He wanted her to open up, to trust him. It scared her.

"Rev…?"

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the one who was the focus of them. She felt her face flush as though she'd been caught staring at something inappropriate. "Hey." The word was strangely uncomfortable as she looked up at him.

"Can I sit?"

Had he asked at any other time she would have had a witty remark for him, but she just nodded and sipped her coffee again, watching him as though he was a time bomb. He had coffee himself and she noticed that he was gripping it tighter than was necessary. _–Where do I begin?-_

"Are you feeling better?" he finally asked, his voice thick with tension. His eyes were full of worry and she realized that he was feeling just as awkward as she was.

"What happened earlier?" she asked, not wanting to sit through painful small-talk. She'd never been the type, and she didn't peg Lyle as the type either.

"I don't know." He said.

He couldn't say that. He _had_ to know. One of them had to. She had no idea and she wanted answers and if he didn't have them, who would?

His eyes flicked over her face and she heard him silently curse in his head. "I don't know." He repeated. _–I don't Rev. Just accept that.-_

"Me neither." She admitted, though she hadn't been asked. She stared at her coffee again, watching a bubble move along the edge of the mug.

"I know what you're thinking, Rev."

That got her attention to focus. "How? You can't-!"

"It's all over your face. It was the wrong time for it to happen."- _Too much emotion. I know.-_

Damn him. Damn his intelligence and his observance and his focused blue-green eyes. She couldn't talk about it yet. She didn't understand her nervousness enough to confirm or deny what he was saying and she didn't want to sit in silence while he read her like a book. "When did you get so observant?"

"When did you get so defensive?" he countered. The words cut. They were meant to, she realized. This was Lyle after-all…they were similar enough that she knew that dodging his clever observations would annoy him. Still, he sat there, looking relaxed as ever and watching her with careful amusement.

_Beep beep!_

She looked down at her communication drive. Tieria. "I have to take this, his royal highness calls." She said, masking her annoyance at Lyle's comment.

"_Reverie Traum, the timing for the test has been shifted. Be at the hangar in fifteen minutes, it will take half an hour to get you ready."_

"Got it." She said, cutting the communication off before Tieria had a chance to antagonize her. She was uncomfortable enough at the moment.

"Testing…?" Lyle questioned, eyes narrowing slightly. _–She just woke up from her coma three hours ago, is he serious?-_

She nodded. "Ian's testing Double-Oh's connection with the Raiser system, and they're going to be using Trans-Am to balance the systems out. Tieria wants me to be in contact with the Gundam so he can measure my newfound abilities again."

_-What!? That purple-haired motherfu-!"_ He was angry. His eyes didn't try to hide it.

"It's alright, Lyle. I'm fine with it."

"Rev, you just got out of bed three hours ago after being-!"

"In a sixteen-hour coma, I know. This is different though." She took a large sip of her coffee, needing to finish it faster.

"_How!?" _Apparently he was angrier than she thought.

"Because this is monitored, they _know_ it's going to happen this time, so they can keep a closer eye on me." It really didn't make a difference, but she hoped he'd ignore that fact. He didn't.

"That's bullshit, Rev. Monitored or not it could really hurt you this time." His gaze was unwavering and accusing. She wasn't fooling him.

"I know that and I'm alright with it. We _need_ to figure my abilities out. _I_ need to figure them out."

"At the risk of possibly being badly hurt? You have metal _in your brain_, Rev. You shouldn't be antagonizing it!" His voice raised. She suddenly realized that he wasn't about to let it go. His posture had lost its calmness.

"So what? I should sit around and do nothing because I might die? Any of us could die, Lyle! Even you! _Especially_ you! I'm safe on the ship with a medic while you're darting around in space and you're going to lecture _me_ about being safe!?"

His jaw tightened. She'd hit the battleship. "That's…different, Rev."

"_How?_"She was would _never_ be intentionally useless. Not to protect herself, and sure as hell not to protect someone else's feelings. "You're allowed to pilot an eighty-tonne war machine and I have to stay on board and do nothing? _That's _ridiculous!"She was almost yelling now. She was hurt.

"Cherudim doesn't leave me knocked out for days at a time or writhing in pain on the floor!" he snapped.

"You're right. If something goes wrong with Cherudim, you don't get knocked out for a day. You _die!_ At least I can recover!"

He was silent for a moment and she could feel the anger radiating from him. "You just shouldn't be pushing yourself like this, Rev. It's not good for you."

She downed her coffee and stood. She couldn't listen to any more. Would he have said this yesterday, before comforting her? Did he feel like he had some kind of unspoken right to say whatever he wanted now that their lips had met? She set the cup down much harder than she should have. "This is all I have, Lyle. I've spent the last five years being totally and utterly useless, not able to live a normal life and hating myself for having this _weakness_. You know what though? It isn't one. It's a strength. One that can help Celestial Being stop people like me from ever being accidentally created again. _I can't be useless again!_ _That_ will kill me faster than any damned head injury, Lyle. Don't ask _me_ to be useless until _you're_ willing to put down your gun."

With that, she stormed away. She put up every mental block that she possibly could to keep his thoughts out and she made a beeline for the repair hangar where Double Oh was being tested. She was seething with anger, but she had the nagging feeling that she'd overreacted. She shoved the feeling down. She could think about it later. Right now she was content to be frustrated.

Frustrated was better than nervous. Being mad at Lyle for worrying about her was…childish. She knew it. Childish and a poor cover for how nervous she was about the amount of emotion she'd shown him earlier. After he'd sat next to her bed for hours, waiting for her to wake up.

She was a horrible person. A childish, nervous, horrible person.

She sighed and stopped at the doors of the repair hangar and looked back down the hall. Did she have enough time to go back and apologize? She glanced at her watch. No, she didn't. Even if she did, what would she say? Could she really go back a few minutes after and say 'Sorry, I let my inner child out again'?

She shook her head and stepped into the hangar. Her apology could wait, at least for a little while.

* * *

Lyle stared at the empty coffee cup that sat across from his own. Reverie had never gone off on him like that before, not even when he'd asked her about her family. He hadn't seen it coming at all. She was usually so level headed and even tempered, what had happened?

Had they really changed that much in the course of three hours?

He'd noticed the change immediately after their lips had separated. They'd stared at each other with similar bewilderment before he'd awkwardly stood and she'd awkwardly pulled her uniform jacket on and left, mumbling that she had to find Shia. Something unusual had happened, and they both sensed it. When he'd seen her sitting at the table with her coffee he wanted to see exactly how much had changed. He'd hoped that they'd brush it off and chalk it up to an emotionally charged situation.

That wasn't what happened.

He'd come to realize that she was like him, and for that reason he understood what she was feeling.

Fear.

He knew because he'd felt the same thing when one of his exes had stumbled upon the box of his family's things that was hidden in the bottom of his dorm closet. He'd left her in bed to head to class, returning three hours later to find her sitting on the floor with the contents of the box neatly laid out. He'd been struck by a flash of morbid electricity when he saw her looking through the various pictures and items, and she'd looked up at him with eyes full of sad comfort. He remembered holding in the crash of anger that had enveloped him, and he remembered telling her to leave when she'd wrapped comforting arms around him. She'd insisted on staying, pleading with him to open up to her, but there was no way he could. Sylvie was gorgeous and smart, but she wasn't meant to be close to him. He'd known that since the moment they'd first spoken. He never had the intention of opening up to her, so seeing her holding Amy's tiny teddy bear and his father's wallet was enough to make his stomach churn in fear. That was when she'd become an ex.

Was that what Reverie was feeling?

Could it have been that she'd never intended to let him get close to her? It wasn't a ridiculous thought. She didn't willingly volunteer information about herself to anyone, and he'd more than once gotten the impression that she was careful to avoid certain topics unless asked. Had he intended to start caring about her? Not at all. Their friendship had started because she was the only one on-board Ptolemy who didn't see his brother in him and who was nearly his age. The fact that he wanted to sleep with her helped quite a bit, too. Over the course of their time he'd actually become a genuine participant in their friendship, though. That had changed a lot.

So where had the kiss come from?

He had no idea. All he remembered was comforting her one second, and tasting her tongue the next. He felt strange and uncomfortable now, but at the time he'd felt neither feeling. It was definitely at the wrong time, in the wrong context, and neither of them seemed to know how to deal with it.

He sighed.

"Are you alright?"

"hm?" A female voice.

"I couldn't help but notice that you've been sighing a lot." She said. She was tall, almost as tall as Reverie if not the same height. Her hair was a strange, light lavender and her eyes an unnervingly pretty crimson that he'd only seen on Tieria.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He lied, sitting up and resuming a casual position. "Just a long couple of days." That was true.

"Can I sit here?" she asked, motioning to the seat Reverie had been filling minutes before. He nodded and moved Reverie's cup. He needed a distraction. Anything. A conversation with a stranger seemed like as good a choice as any. She was strangely beautiful, and her face was inexplicably kind. They must have looked like night and day. "I'm Anew." She said, extending a gloved hand. "Anew Returner."

"Lockon Stratos." He said, grinning and extending his own. "It's a pleasure, Ms. Returner."

A distraction. Someone who didn't know him, who couldn't hear his thoughts, and who hopefully didn't know his brother.

Just what he needed at the moment.

* * *

"Do you have any questions about the system?"

Marie shook her head. Tieria had explained the system in exacting detail, and if it hadn't been for her remarkable patience she would have gone crazy listening. Reverie was sitting quietly on Double-Oh's foot as thought it was a daybed, once again covered in electrodes and not looking very impressed with Tieria's fussing. "I'll be fine." Marie said, reassuring the Meister.

He nodded. "Good. This program is a copy of the one that will be used on-board Ptolemy, so please be delicate with it."

She nodded and he turned around, looking between Reverie and Shia, the medic. "Are there any remaining questions about the procedure?"

The two of them looked at each other before looking back at Tieria and shaking their heads. "No." Reverie confirmed. Marie was worried about her. She'd been uncharacteristically silent and she looked sad, almost embarrassed. Marie made a mental note to ask her about it later.

Tieria gave a thumbs-up to the control room and Marie saw Ian Vashti nod and disappear, presumably to his seat.

She looked up as Double-Oh's drive started to hum and spit out dancing green particles. She looked at the screen in front of her. Reverie's body was reacting remarkably well to the GN Drive, and as she watched the brunette she thought she could almost hear her humming over the noise of the Gundam. Marie had read the woman's file. She had to, she was going to be monitoring her while she used Tieria's mystery system. From what she could see the file had been right, the brunette found incredible relief when around the green-shooting drives. Her blood pressure had lowered within the last minute, her heartbeat had slowed to a normal range, and the levels of oxygen in her blood showed that her lungs were working with remarkable clarity. Even Soma commented on her relaxed quantum brainwaves.

Did Gundams really hold so much power?

"_Now initiating Trans-Am"_

Setsuna's voice rang through Marie's earpiece. She'd now be able to hear all of the Meisters whenever she wore it, along with Sumeragi and the bridge. She was a living network hub for the girl in front of her, relaying information this-way and that.

Various patches of the Gundam turned the brilliant coral-pink of Trans-Am until the color covered the surface of the giant suit. Marie turned all her focus to Reverie. At first she stayed relaxed, laying back and looking up at the war machine. Seconds later her head snapped forward. The same patch of her scalp was glowing, it looked like her skull was cracking and releasing the brilliant light.

Her words came in an insanely fast stream.

"Topological defect shifting to higher level, Increase in particle generation and emission rates. It's passing the normal hundred and eighty percent…"

Her eyes were focused on an imaginary point that Marie couldn't see. The words were spilling from her mouth almost as though she were a talking doll, it was clear that she wasn't consciously present in front of them.

"Her body temperature has increased two degrees!" Shia, the medic, said in a panic. "Administering three miligrams of quatrazine!"

"…Double-Oh about to exceed theoretical limit." Reverie said, then suddenly her words stopped and her eyes grew wide. "Satellite weapon attack struck Kingdom of Suille approximately thirty seconds ago. Relay point appears to be lower orbital ring, approximate geographical location of-!"

Cold.

Ice cold.

Marie couldn't hear the brunette anymore, something happened. "_Colonel!"_

He was standing in front of a blinding white light. It was ominous and evil, and he shouldn't have been so close. She could hear Soma screaming, protesting, and she felt Soma take over, pushing her back into the back of her own mind. _"Colonel! Get away from there! Run Colonel!"_

She fell to one knee and held her head.

Then it stopped. "What?"

"Ms. Parfacy, are you alright?" A strong hand on her shoulder helped her back to her feet. Shia, the medic. He was staring wide-eyed at her.

"I….um…" She shook her head to clear her thoughts, Soma having retreated again. "I'm fine." She concluded. Shia didn't stay to respond, but had already darted to the Gundam's foot and the figure that was still lying there.

Right. She was supposed to be monitoring Reverie. She could consult with the medic afterwards. She was fine, Reverie most likely wasn't.

What had happened? She didn't know. She looked at the screen in front of her. The brunette's heartbeat was erratic, her temperature was high, and her muscles were sending involuntary signals, but she was awake. That was an improvement on last time.

Marie logged the information quickly and sent the reports to Tieria before darting over to the girl and helping Shia support her.

"I'm fine." Reverie weakly protested, trying to shake the older man off and stand on her own.

"Oh really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in a gesture that Marie hadn't really come to understand. "Well then, you won't mind helping an old man walk." He quipped.

"Let me walk on my own, Shia." Reverie growled as Marie pulled off the electrodes that were still stuck to her.

"You sure?" he asked in disbelief.

"Of course I'm sure. I've been practicing this walking thing for twenty-four years." She said, still weakly trying to push away from him. Marie could feel her tremble and she realized it was a bad idea.

"If you say so." He said, letting go and raising his arms in surrender.

Marie stepped back as Reverie took one teetering step, then another, then crumpled. She cursed and pressed her forehead to the ground, her chest and back shaking as she took in a few deep breaths.

"Are you done?" Shia asked, looking down at the woman. She huffed and nodded, extending an arm up towards him. "Marie, I'm gonna take her to the infirmary. Can you clean up the equipment?"

She nodded.

As he pulled Reverie up and helped her walk again, Marie concluded that she was a strange person. Anyone who could go from humming to spouting knowledge to arguing with a medic when they were definitely in need of one was strange.

Marie liked it.

So did Soma.

Although Soma was too busy worrying about the colonel to admit it.

* * *

After another four hours in the infirmary, Reverie was convinced that she never wanted to see the inside of the damned place again. She was in there so often that Shia didn't bother having one of the female staff change her into the standard gown and geriatric slippers, they just took off her jacket and boots and that was it. If she was smart she'd start leaving her toothbrush there…she barely saw the inside of her room anymore, after-all.

She made her way through the halls of the ship and back out into the hidden base. She wasn't sure why Shia had brought her back to Ptolemy instead of taking her to the massive infirmary in the resource satellite. Maybe he liked the empty ship better, or maybe he wanted to antagonize her by making her walk farther. Either was a good guess.

Regardless, it made finding Lyle harder.

She needed to apologize. She picked through the thought-voices in her head, dropping in on random conversations and trying to find his all-too-familiar accented thoughts.

She flinched as she heard Hallelujah, her anger temporarily flaring, then dissipating. She didn't know what she was supposed to feel towards Allelujah's violent alter-ego. She'd always found him morbidly entertaining to listen to, but she couldn't passively listen to him now, she found. Hearing his babbling insane thoughts in her mind was setting her on edge. Shia had shared an interesting piece of information with her when she'd accessed Trans-Am.

Hallelujah had done this to her.

Well, accidentally. Still though, _he_ was the reason for everything that had happened in the last five years. Her head injury, the testing with the AEU, her fights with her family, her insomnia and numerous overdoses. Her joining Celestial Being.

Hallelujah was behind all of it.

She listened to him mutter about wanting to slit so-and-so's throat for taking too long in the lunch line and she shivered, pushing him out of her head. She didn't know what to do about her newfound knowledge.

She gave up trying to find Lyle. There were too many voices in her head and she was too tired and sore to really pick through them like normal. She wasn't really sure what she'd say if she found him, either. Sorry would be a good place to start, but she wasn't sure what to say after that.

She sighed and turned around, deciding to head for the range. She'd be alone there, and hopefully the sound of her shots would block out some of the mindless humming thoughts that she was picking up. She had more than enough frustration to release to justify her choice. She tried to drown out the thoughts of at least those near her until she could get to her destination.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she opened the door to the range. It was pitch black, empty. "Lights, activate."

Nothing.

Right. The power to unnecessary systems had been shut down until Ptolemy's repairs could be finished. She sighed and started to feel along the wall for the manual switch for the light system, finding it after a few unsuccessful searches and flicking it on.

She breathed a sigh of relief again when she realized that she was really alone. She needed the space to think about exactly how she was going to word her apology, and to think about how she felt about what she'd learned about the Taklamakan incident.

She looked at the pistol stand but decided against it. She hadn't reached that lesson yet, and she wanted to improve her consistency before moving on. So far they'd dealt with the rifle standing, kneeling, and laying prone, as well as two types of firing for semi-automatic weapons. Lyle had started teaching her the proper stances for pistol firing, but she didn't want to develop bad habits while on her own. She'd stick to the antique rifle that she'd come to love and work on her breathing and trigger control.

She laid out the box of ammunition, the rifle, her protective gear, and pulled on the gloves that Lyle had chosen for her. She slid into position, checking her angles and making sure that she was lined up with her firing arc, then slipped her headgear on and loaded.

The butt of the rifle was cold as it sat in the crook of her shoulder, held firmly in place to avoid the bruise that she'd had after her first lesson. She inhaled deeply, then slowly cut back until she felt like she needed no air at all.

The room was completely silent as she steadily pulled the trigger back. Slowly, slowly, slowly, keeping focused and still as a statue. The crack of the shot filled her ears and she stayed still, not moving until the shot had sunk into the target downrange. She exhaled.

"Your breathing is getting better every day."

She snapped around to find Lyle leaning in the doorway, careful to keep the muzzle of the rifle downrange. He held a cigarette loosely in his lips, and somehow the playful look that his eyes normally held had returned.

'_Much better! Much better!'_ Haro agreed, bouncing into the room.

"Little man, do you even understand breathing?" she asked the little bot as it rolled towards her, stopping a foot away.

'_Understand! Understand!'_ it said, a little indignantly.

She patted him and stood, picking up the ammo as Lyle watched her. "What brings you here?" she asked. Somehow she couldn't feel awkward around him when at the range. It had too many good memories. Laughing, teasing each other, tension that made suggestions that both of them kept quiet about.

"Same thing as you, I guess. I needed to get away for a while."

She set the ammo on the table, away from where Haro could knock it over. "I can leave if you want to be alone for a while."

"What fun is the range without my range buddy?" he asked, clicking his tongue, cigarette now in-hand. _-What would that accomplish?-_ she heard him wonder. "Besides, we need to talk."

"That sounds promising." She quipped, not really sure if she was sarcastic or scared. She saw the look of annoyance that flashed over his face and she kicked herself. "I'm sorry." She sighed. "I'm just not very good at this."

He flicked the tip off his cigarette and tossed the butt in the garbage, finally stepping into the range and letting the door close. "Good at what?" he asked, stepping past her and leaning against the desk. She could look him in the face, it was strange.

"Apologizing." She could feel herself blush and she looked away, down at Haro. "I'm sorry for earlier. I shouldn't have lost it like that. Either time."

'_Rev feels silly! Rev feels silly!'_ Haro interjected, flapping his 'ears'. The little robot was more perceptive than she'd realized.

"You taught him my nickname?" she asked, tilting her head. It was far off-topic, but she was curious.

Lyle shook his head. "He picked that up all on his own. He's a smart little guy." He watched her curiously, as though she was about to do something interesting. "I'm sorry too, Rev."

She tilted her head. She hadn't expected that. "What do you have to be sorry for?"

"It takes two to make a kiss work like that." He quipped more than said.

"And only one person to make it awkward." She pointed out. "and I think that was me."

"Why?" His blue-green eyes were searching, of course he wouldn't know anything about her history of unemotional relationships. He couldn't read her mind.

She swallowed and sat next to him, not wanting to lock eyes. "I don't deal well with emotion…not when it's me leaning on someone else, anyways. I can deal with shock, fear, and anger, but not that kind of sadness." She paused. "I've never let myself be comforted about my father before…I've never really told anyone before…not friends or lovers or coworkers. No one. Just you. I don't know how to deal with that. Then we kissed and I didn't know what to do about that either."

Lyle nodded, but she was relieved when he didn't say anything.

"This will make me sound much less respectable than I'd like to think I am, but I don' t get involved with people that care about me in that way…" she paused again. "I never have. I don't know how to deal with it."

"Do you want me to care?" he asked, meeting her surprised look.

That was a hard question, but she knew that she couldn't tell him not to. Why did she have such a hard time with people caring about that part of her? Was it because it made her vulnerable? Because it showed that she was human? Her overdoses and depressive state when she couldn't sleep were one thing. That was conditional. Her feelings about her family…they were integral to her. As integral as she imagined Lyle's family's deaths were to him. "That depends. Why do you care?"

He didn't respond for a long time. He was thinking, examining. She put all of her effort into blocking him out, wanting to give him the benefit of a well-weighted response this time. She wanted to hear what he wanted to say instead of the pieces that lead to it. "because you know what it's like to stand on the other side of the glass. You know what it's like to sit and watch those around you be fake, lie, say that you're really the one they wanted to see. You aren't one of the people on the other side." He exhaled, looking away from her. _-You're the other island in the sea.- _

She'd heard him think about the island frequently, about the cloud-brother, the broken-bottle family, and the currents that pulled this-way and that. Lyle. L'isle. The island. "When you look at me, I know that you aren't disappointed. You don't look away or stare at me with sadness. I'm not a painful reminder to you…you're _happy_ to see me. I care because _you see me_."

She was silent, then a smile tugged at her lips. "I see you."

"Too much emotion again, right?" he asked, eyes laughing as he looked at her sideways.

She raised an eyebrow, she could feel her grin start. "I don't see any tears, so I think we're good. There haven't been any inappropriate comments yet though, that's a warning sign."

"We'll work on that." He said, his grin matching hers.

They stared at each other silently for a moment until Reverie slipped past him. "Now, teach me my firing stances, Instructor Dylandy."

"Keep bossing me around and you'll need to do an extra-credit assignment…" he warned, leaving the table to shed his uniform jacket and stand in front of her. Neither could hide their grins.

Just like that, somehow, they'd returned to normal.

Or so she hoped.


	15. Shock Value

AN: This might be the last chapter for a few days or so, as I have a really crazy couple of days coming up. There are more perspective shifts than I'm normally comfortable with in this chapter, but I hope that they serve their purpose well. I tried to write this chapter originally with my usual three perspective changes, but it didn't work right. That being said, I like this chapter. I finally got to play with Gallagher's head, and it makes me happy (which is kind of depressing, but still). After getting some comments back from the last chapter and hearing some critiquing, I went back through it and admit that it could have been handled much better. I struggled with the decision to edit it a lot and repost, but thought against it. I added four words at the end that will hopefully sum up what I hope to gain from the chapter in the future as it really has significance in the emergence of Lyle/Anew. I think it'll become clearer when I can get back inside Lyle's head again. Let's just say it'll affect him much more than Rev. Rev's life gets infinitely harder from this point out. If she isn't a masochist by now, she'd better start considering the mindset, because there will be pain. Completely random, but the first line of this chapter makes me think of a Gallagher Maybelline commercial for some reason. "Maybe he's born with it, Maybe it's mind control!" *cue shiny mask closeup and evil smile*.

Thanks to those who messaged their input, and to Stormy, whose critique was much-needed and actually ended up clearing up something in my head for future chapters! I agree that the last line does seem to rush their resolution. I should be clear that they definitely don't return to normal, and I didn't convey that over the course of the chapter unfortunately. I'm always open to critique though, so don't worry about it! To Anne: It makes me crazy happy to hear that she's well-developed. I think I've been delving into her perspective a little too much in the last few chapters though, so I'll be pulling back and getting at some other areas. As for Lyle...I love him to pieces so I can't express enough how happy I am that you like his portrayal. I've found that the more I write Lyle the less I like Neil, which makes me feel guilty, but hopefully I'll get over that in the future.

I listened to "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails for Gallagher's part, and a random mix of stuff for the rest.

**When Marie and Rev are talking, if Marie's lines are in italics it's because she's speaking through glass.

* * *

**Shock Value**

_"It's discouraging to think of how many people are shocked by honesty and not deceit"_

"So perfect…so perfectly _me_."

Ailin Gallagher ran his hand along the center control panel of his new mobile suit. Katagiri had really outdone himself, it was perfect. It was more than perfect. It was a Gundam.

"GNW-2500 Gundam Proculeza."

He tested it out, rolling the words on his tongue. Even the name was perfect. Proculeza. Proculo. The demon of dreams. It suited him incredibly well. It was a combination of the Gadessa and the re-examined Throne Eins, boasting speed, flexibility, and long-range firing capabilities that god himself couldn't out-shoot. Not that god existed; man had killed him centuries ago. Now there was only Gallagher.

There was another man with a machine like his, a Gundam Throne hybrid. He'd met him twice, in passing. War was his reason for living, he'd said. Somehow, for reasons unknown, just hearing the man's voice as he uttered those words had made his stomach turn violently. It was then that he decided that war wasn't the explosive, untamed thing that the middle-eastern mercenary had suggested. It was something delicate and intricate, like chess, but with no resolution or clearly defined winner. Even Gallagher himself wouldn't win. That was why he loved the battles. Every dodged shot and every blocked saber slash was one step closer to the intricately woven plan of his death. It was beautiful.

He watched the screen in the center of the cockpit with absolute, malicious glee. He could see the resource satellite that they were patiently waiting to destroy. Lagrange Three, one of Celestial Being's many hidden bases. He leaned back in his seat and propped his feet up, unable to stop his grin as he thought of what was to come. The barrage would begin anytime now. Missiles shooting all around them, landing here and there, blasting chunks of the organization's refuge into nothingness and reintroducing them to the sheer chaos of fear. Would they panic? Would they pray? No, they were a colony of scientists. Would they throw themselves in the way of their precious creations, hoping to spare the inevitable? He didn't know, but he wanted to.

Next the Ptolemaios II would emerge in all of its glory, vibrant GN field radiating, Gundams shooting from it and tearing through the blackness of space. He knew them intimately, as though they were close friends. How? He didn't know. He just knew that he did. The big one would be blasting, keeping everyone away with its sheer strength, calculating the massive blasts as though it were run by a computer. The orange one would shoot through the battlefield with speed that betrayed the pilot's less-than-human ability to withstand the lethal force of gravity that he'd be experiencing. Who was he? Gallagher didn't know. A super-soldier, he knew that much. He didn't know how he knew, but he was certain of it. The blue one would steal the show, slashing and stabbing, getting right up in the other pilot's uptight little faces. '_Here I am, watch me destroy you'_ it would taunt. Gallagher liked that suit, it was fast and brutal, not bothering with mercy. It was clear that the pilot didn't enjoy killing, though. He was far too efficient to take any pleasure in his opponent's death. Finally, the green suit, the wild-card. Gallagher didn't know much about the gun-intensive suit. He couldn't find any indication in his head of who would be sitting in the cockpit…all he had were videos of it to go by. A sniper. It was equipped as a long-range suit, but the pilot showed impressive close-combat shooting. He wondered what the pilot's long-range skills were like. He wanted to test him, to force him into a corner and watch him shoot his way out. _That_ suit would be his opponent, he decided. It was only fitting that the two snipers should play, wasn't it? It would be _fun_.

Amid all of the chaos that would be on the battlefield, Gallagher had one last treat to look forward to.

Reverie Traum.

She would be on-board Ptolemy.

_That_ idea was incredibly interesting. He could have taken her out so easily at the banquet, but he had no interest in games like that. Not like the blue Gundam. He wanted to take his time…she needed to know that he was her opponent and that he was waiting for her, toying with her. He didn't want to destroy her yet. He wanted to wait until she began to toy with him, too. A match between telepaths and a match between snipers. If he had any interest in Christmas, he would have said it was today. He didn't though, and instead he sighed to himself, pulling off his mask and letting it hang in the weightless atmosphere. He examined it as it floated. Deep green ballistic fiber made up the majority of it, with impact-resistant green glass making up the space over his eyes.

Why did he wear it?

He'd thought of the question numerous times. He didn't wear it for any specific reason…he just always had. Always was a strange word though. It implied time, and he knew that the timeline of his life had been skewed. He knew that he had memories, but they were distant, unimportant images that floated here and there. They were nothing like the ones he saw from comrades, vivid details, smells, sounds, _emotions_.

He ran a gloved hand over his face. The skin of the right side of it ached with the pressure of his fingertips.

He'd been in an accident, they'd said. A battle that went horribly wrong. He'd been a dedicated AEU soldier then, and he'd acted with extreme courage and speed, or so the news article said. His mobile suit troop was under attack from a Gundam and he'd been shot down. Instead of laying back though, he'd climbed out of the damned mobile suit and stood on the ground, dragging the firing system with him and using his remaining energy to aim at the attacking suit, blasting it to pieces. Gundam Dynames. The one that had spearheaded his receiving of a license. Apparently he'd saved thirty-six lives.

He chuckled.

It sounded too good to be him.

He knew who he was, and he had no interest in heroics or saving lives. He knew that the memories and the story were fake, how could he not? There was no video evidence of the fight. No records, no pieces of the destroyed Gundam hidden away on a base somewhere.

He hadn't destroyed Dynames, but he knew it very well.

The same way that he knew the Gundam pilots very well. A gut reaction, almost like instinct but more certain. He _knew_ them.

"_Mission will commence in 00:33"_

Colonel Mannequin's voice filled the cockpit and he slid back to a proper seated position, pulling his mask back on and pulling his distance targeting system down.

He loved the feel of the system against his shoulder. Originally it had been like those of the other suits, held securely in place by support arms. He didn't want that. He wanted to feel like he was holding his beloved rifle, and he did. The cool metal pressed to his cheek filled him with a sense of nostalgia that he couldn't place. He tested his scope and sat back, not needing to stand on high alert like the others. He'd sit here, patiently waiting for his opponent to launch. He wouldn't aim for him right away, no. He'd shoot past him, telling him that he was there and waiting. A taunt. The idea made him smile. He'd tease the sniper just as he'd tease Reverie Traum.

The missiles shot overhead and he felt his body flush with adrenaline. It was starting.

* * *

"Pseudo drives! I don't know how many!" Reverie yelled through clenched teeth, her nails digging viciously into the arms of her seat. There had to be a lot of them, her head felt like it was tearing down the middle.

"_What's their location?"_ Marie's voice asked, coming through the speaker that linked both sides of the glass-separated room. They'd been getting used to the system when the pain had suddenly set in.

She didn't want to look at the screen. Her mind was fracturing and she didn't want to have to let the piercing lights of the room into her vision. She forced herself to open her eyes, slowly. The screen in front of her mapped out the area surrounding Ptolemy's position inside Lagrange Three. She snarled and tried to focus on the numbers indicated in the map but she couldn't see them. Her eyes were blurring over with tears and she couldn't focus on anything but _making that damned pain stop!_

She couldn't do that though.

"R…Right upper quadrant! Third satellite down!" she half-snapped, her teeth clamping together involuntarily after her relayed message. She slouched over, pressing her temples into her knees and gripped her head as though it would explode. She could hear herself crying, she could feel her lungs heaving, but tears couldn't express the overwhelming pain that the droning noise was creating. It hadn't been this bad since the Katharon incident when she'd been writhing and screaming on the ground.

"_Ms. Sumeragi says there aren't any heat signatures there." _Marie relayed, her voice somehow reaching through the droning.

_-What should I do? She looks so horrible…-_

"_They're there!"_ Reverie snapped. If it wasn't for the seat-belt buckle that was too complex to open with clenched fists she would have been writhing on the ground. It was too much. There had to be at least a dozen suits. "Make it stop! It's too much! It's too much! _Please make it stop! Make it stop!_" she screamed, her throat hoarse. It had never been this bad. Ever.

"_You want me to administer the morphine?"_ Marie asked. Reverie cursed herself for asking her to double-check before administering it. _–God does she ever need it…-_

"_YES!_" She yelled, then folded forward again, her body racking with sobs. She needed it to stop. She needed it to stop so bad that she'd do anything. _"Please…"_

Small, incredibly strong hands pulled her up, pulling a strap tightly around her chest and securing her arms to the seat. The forced sitting position made Reverie want to throw up but she couldn't draw a deep enough breath to make the effort. She felt Marie search for the vein in her arm, then heard her yelp as the ship shook with another missile hit. She didn't even feel the needle. _Thank-God._

_-Do the drives really hurt you that much, Reverie?-_

Cold shock. She stopped snarling and looked up, staring at the screen.

_That voice_, _Lyle's voice._

It was _that man_. Her eyes were so wide that she could feel the air hitting them, her lungs had forgotten how to breathe.

_-Breathe, Reverie. I'd hate for you to pass out on me.-_

She could hear him smirk. Confident, cruel, playful. She could almost see it under his mask. _–Say my name, Reverie. I know you know it…-_ she heard him almost purr. She was too shocked and in too much pain to argue.

"Ailin…Gallagher?"

_-Good girl. Now we're going to have a little fun.-_

* * *

"Where are you, Cherudim Gundam?" Gallagher asked, watching the machines shoot out of the resource satellite. He'd picked the name out of one of the crew's minds, needing to put a label on his adversary. It was appropriate that he was waiting for Cherudim, he thought. It was the successor of Dynames, made to replace the sniper model that he'd supposedly destroyed four years prior. It made him wonder…

Was the pilot a replacement too?

He knew it wasn't the same one. The fighting style was too different from the style that the Dynames pilot had in the videos. Dynames' pilot had been calculated, calm, and the identified leader of the Gundams. This pilot was different. He was spontaneous, fast, and confrontational. He much preferred close-range shots that required an impressive amount of maneuvering to execute. The randomness of his attacks made Gallagher smile. He'd be hard to predict.

"There you are." He said, watching the green and white Gundam appear and take out a set of missiles that were headed for the personnel transports. He adjusted his head so he could see through the targeting system, watching the Gundam weave this-way and that. The pilot's sporadic motion would make it difficult to _not_ hit him. It was interesting. He settled his cross-hairs for his teasing shot.

_-What do you want with Cherudim?-_

Reverie.

She was starting to pick through his mind. Apparently the morphine had worked and she could focus enough to spy on his thoughts. He wanted to play, that was all. Just a friendly game of 'kill me if you can'. The same think he wanted from her. _Can't talk now, have a shot to make, sweetheart._

_-Better make it a damn good one.- _ he heard her smirk. She placed a large amount of faith in the pilot, it seemed. _–Of course I do. We just gave him your position.-_

She'd done _what_?

-_Are you having fun yet, Gallagher?-_

As if on an invisible string, Cherudim turned to face him, pulling its distance rifle from its shoulder and aiming. His system yelled at him, telling him that he was set distinctly in the targets of the mobile suit. He couldn't move yet though, they still had ten seconds until he could reveal his heat signature. He laughed. _So much fun. _He raised the Gundam's rifle, watching with glee as Cherudim saw the motion and pulled the trigger.

He fired.

Cherudim spun out of the way milliseconds before the shot would have hit, Gallagher did the same, the searing heat of Cherudim's shot tearing through his heat-cloak.

Their struggle had begun.

* * *

"I'm fine!" Reverie insisted. She'd found Gallagher. He knew a surprising amount about the A-Laws tactical plan and she'd be damned if she let that information get away. "Really Marie, I'll be alright. I'm not in pain anymore. Besides, they could probably use your help with Hangar Three. You don't need to monitor me if I'm not in pain!" If she was being honest, she would have told Marie that she was one morphine drop away from passing out from sheer exhaustion, but that wouldn't help her cause.

"Alright." She released the straps that had been pressing Reverie to the seat, darting out of the room seconds later, pulling her protective helmet on. Reverie sealed the door shut, suddenly acutely aware that she wasn't wearing a space suit and that she'd be obliterated if the small room was hit.

She shook her head and took over at Marie's station. She pulled the spare ear-piece out of the air and slipped it into her ear, being linked to the bridge and Meisters. The touch-screen map of the battle area was in front of her and her fingers flew over the surface of it. "Ms. Sumeragi, I'm sending vital information. Marie has gone to hangar three."

"_Send!"_ was the only response. Apparently Sumeragi needed an edge, badly.

She pulled at the screen here and there, quickly outlining what she was pulling out of Gallagher's mind. Six machines cloaked at this point, another hidden there. Two new models, pilots unknown. She updated the map with frightening speed, adding arrows here and there to indicate the hidden suits.

Finally, she added Gallagher's. Suit 14, as far as the plan was concerned.

"Ms. Sumeragi, please avoid destroying Suit 14, that's the one I'm pulling the information from." She couldn't believe she was making a request like that. Keeping Gallagher alive? She needed him, though. Not a single one of the other pilots had as much information as him, and if others did they were too far away or she couldn't hear them. His abilities matched with hers meant that they could connect over a much larger distance, it seemed.

"_I can't guarantee that."_

"I understand. If it has to be immobilized we should try to capture the pilot."

_-I make a horrible pet, Reverie.-_

God how she wished she could block him out. His mind was full of too many secrets though, and she wanted to get as many of them out of his head as possible. That meant she had to keep him talking.

_-You don't have to 'keep' me talking, Reverie. I'm always willing to speak with you…-_

"Why is that, Ailin?" She could see images here and there of the cockpit of his mobile suit, forecasting information spilling over one of the screens. She'd give one of her limbs to be able to access her Trans-Am abilities right then.

_-First-name now? Isn't that a little fast, Karen? What are these Trans-Am abilities that you're thinking about?-_

"Something you don't have." She quipped. She watched with nervous tension as Cherudim and Gallagher's arrows started to move towards one another. She knew that Lyle could hold his own, but she also knew that Gallagher could read his mind.

* * *

Lyle was thrown violently into his seat again by the sheer force of Cherudim's movements as he dodged another impeccably placed shot from the dark green and black suit that was hurtling towards him.

Who the hell was this guy?

How did he manage to get such an advanced suit?

"_Lyle, be careful, he can hear your thoughts!"_

Reverie? He didn't have time to ask how or why she was on the comms system. He had to trust that she was fine, because if he was distracted for a second he wouldn't be.

"Got it!"

He fired another round of shots from the GN rifle but the other pilot was fast, anticipating his moves and waiting until the last second to dodge. If he could hear his thoughts, that explained his uncanny ability to dodge at the last possible moment. "Just one shot to the thrusters, that's it. Just one." He muttered. He pushed his targeting system out of the way. It was useless with an opponent that moved this fast, and the other suit had just crossed the distance boundary of his long-ranged weaponry. He whipped the pistols from Cherudim's back just barely in time to catch the full force of the other suit's impact.

He whipped his other pistol around, barely missing the other suit's cameras and cursing when he realized that the suit had moved again.

"_What's the matter, sniper dear? Am I moving a little fast?"_

That voice.

Playful and masculine, full of amusement. _His_ voice. The only reason he recognized it so clearly was because he'd listened to it for his whole life. There was one other person in the world who had the same voice as his. One other person who had died four years earlier.

"_It's time to join your predecessor, Cherudim!"_

What?

"_Danger! Danger!" _Haro yelped.

Lyle's eyes went wide with shock. Everything moved in slow-motion. He was surrounded. A suit to his left and one to his right, and the Pseudo-Gundam being held back only with his pistol. He'd become so preoccupied with the voice that he hadn't paid attention to the other suits.

He was outmatched.

A lightning-fast analysis of his predicament told him that there was no way he could take out all three suits. Especially when the one in front of him appeared to be a Gundam.

Barrels raised.

Then they exploded.

He whipped his other pistol around and fired into the cameras of the other suit. The resulting explosion told him he'd hit. The suit shot away.

Thank-god.

"_Is that it, Lyle Dylandy? Is that really all you can do!?"_ The suit shot back around towards him, this time its cockpit was open, he could only assume the cameras were useless as he raised a pistol to take the suit out. It was faster.

Within seconds Lyle found himself staring down the barrel of the massive sniper rifle. He dodged and spun, twisting this-way and that to try and either lose the suit or shoot it, but neither was happening. The pilot was like a rabid dog, refusing to let go.

"_Move! Move!" _Haro yelled in protest as the sniper rifle's blast charged with them still in the cross-hairs.

He couldn't get away, the man was inside his head and inside his headset, laughing and taunting him with his own voice.

Then he was gone.

Lyle spun Cherudim around the second he realized that he wasn't being tailed by the maniac.

"_Hahaha! Reverie Traum, is this a trick I didn't know about!?"_ His voice tore through the comms, the laugh gleefully sickening.

Lyle saw the cockpit close again and he realized that the suit had lost almost all of its power, the pseudo GN Drive barely spitting out any orange particles. It mustered up what seemed to be the last of its strength and shot away, presumably back to its mothership.

What had just happened?

"_Enemy is withdrawing, Gundams are to uphold defensive positions."_

Sumeragi's voice rang through Cherudim's comms. Was it really over just like that?

He had the sneaking suspicion that somehow, something big had just barely begun.

* * *

Bruns Muller stood awkwardly in the Asian market, bag in hand and a cap covering the majority of the large scar that ran along his scalp. He didn't know what the man looked like that he was meeting, but he knew that he'd be able to identify him somehow. For one, he wouldn't be a scruffy rebel.

Ever since the attack of Katharon's middle-eastern base he'd had the sense that he'd somehow chosen the wrong side. His first indication had been the fact that they were working with Celestial Being. He didn't particularly have anything against the organization per se, but he held quite the grudge against one of their members, his ever indignant, ever dangerous stepdaughter. It wasn't even a grudge really, he _hated_ that girl. He didn't mind dealing with her younger brother, but dealing with her was like teasing a tiger. It would strike, you just never knew when or how.

His second indication had been that Katharon was losing. It wasn't hard to notice that they were underfunded, under-equipped, and they were working with increasingly out-dated weaponry. Without Celestial Being's help there was no way that the organization had a hope of changing anything. Bruns didn't enjoy fighting for hopeless causes.

The third indication was what had lead him here today. The A-Laws somehow knew who he was, and they'd threatened Andra, his ex-wife. That had marked the end of his loyalty to Katharon. While he may not have liked her daughter, he _loved_ Andra. He didn't always show it, and he knew that he didn't deserve her, but he loved her fiercely. The A-Laws knew who she was and they'd threatened her. That was all that mattered to Bruns.

"Bruns Muller, I take it?"

"Gottverdammt!" He almost dropped his drink, he was so startled. The man was his height but lanky, almost rail-thin really. "Yes, I am." He said, not really sure how to offer his hands, which were full. The man shook his head and took the bag from his left hand, replacing it with the one that he'd been holding in his own hand.

"Everything you need is in that bag. The microphone just has to be in the same room, it doesn't have to be close to anyone. The box of pellets needs to be dropped on the ground. The pellets are nano-bots that will take in all necessary information. The money is yours, rolled and separated. They're non-sequential bills, not that it matters. No one will come looking for it."

Alright, maybe he wasn't only doing it for Andra.

Bruns nodded and the man turned and stalked away without another word, towering over the rest of the crowd and disappearing amidst the various vendors.

He looked at the bag in his hand.

This was it. He was going to betray Katharon.

Somehow he wasn't very bothered.

* * *

Tieria had never been so livid in his entire life. Well, almost never. He was very good at being livid, after-all. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose slowly, trying to contain his frustration.

"She did _what?_"

Reverie was sitting once again in the infirmary, this time dazed and confused and with hands bandaged and burned. At the rate that she spent time in the medical facility he would be better off reassigning her room to one of the new staff members that Ptolemy had picked up.

"It appears that Ms. Traum created a circuit with the wiring in the control panel of the new system that we've added to Ptolemy." Anew replied calmly. Apparently his anger didn't phase her. "The damage to her hands is easily repairable, and the effects on her mind should wear off within the next hour. Luckily the ship runs on GN Particle Energy and not standard electricity or she would have died."

Great. She'd basically electrocuted herself with GN particles. What new ways would the woman think of to possibly get herself killed? VEDA must have been wrong to recommend her. She was clearly intent on dying, whether on Earth or not. "Thank-you Anew Returner. I'll be back for a progress update shortly." He said, leaving the room and storming into the hall.

The woman needed constant supervision.

Constant.

Marie Parfacy couldn't be relied upon to make appropriate decisions concerning the woman, it seemed. She'd left for fifteen minutes to run Ian Vashti to sick bay and in that time Reverie had managed to get out of her restraints, short out the trial system, and electrocute herself.

A genius in the making, that one.

What had possessed her to do it? She hadn't been in pain, she'd already identified the enemies, and for all intents and purposes she'd completed her job. Why go to such an extent? What if she hadn't been able to recover? What if they'd lost her?

_You're worried about her, Tieria._

"_What!?"_ He was starting to be annoyed by the way Lockon's voice offered its own opinions. If he was human , he would have said that the one-eyed sniper had somehow become his conscience. There was no way he was worried about the apparently suicidal telepath. If she wanted to get herself killed, that was her business. It would just interfere with his data and he didn't appreciate that. _That's _what was going on. Not some kind of misplaced worry.

_If you really are worried about your data, why haven't you looked at it yet?_

He stopped.

He hadn't examined the data at all.

How had he missed that? He'd been in such a rush to see what kind of stupidity Reverie had involved herself in that he hadn't even opened the files from the battle. He whipped his data-drive from his pocket, activating it and watching the projected screen. The alterations to the plan were all there, as well as the damage reports for Ptolemy and the statuses of the Meisters.

He scrolled through the file, then stopped, then scrolled back up.

There it was.

Right before the enemy suits had withdrawn two of them experienced complete loss of power, and a third, one of the new models, had just barely enough power to leave the battle. He checked the timestamp of both the power shortage in Reverie's system and the death of the suits. Suddenly her stupidity didn't seem so stupid. She'd shocked herself to kill the suits.

_And_ she'd had the data from the incident forwarded to him automatically.

A genius in the making.

He meant it this time. Not only had she shorted out three mobile suits, but she'd also saved them two weeks of testing the as-yet un-named system. That meant they could have it up and running in a matter of days. This meant they could test it within hours.

Maybe she wasn't suicidal after-all.

* * *

**Bonus Mini Story!**

_Gallagher doesn't like Ali_

After a hard-days' work, there was nothing Ailin Gallagher liked more than a glass of wine. Despite his sadistic, spontaneous, and maniacal general attitude, he liked to put his feet up on his Colonel's desk, pour a glass of wine, and watch the evening happenings of the base through the massive picture window of - not his - office. Right now, that was exactly what he was doing. The Colonel wouldn't be back until later, at which point she'd sigh and walk out if Gallagher was still there. Most people didn't question his actions or taunt him, regardless of rank. If the A-Laws operated above the law, then he operated above the A-Laws. Regene Regetta had seen to that._  
_

He turned the bottle he was holding idly in his hand. It was one of the ones that Reverie had recommended to Homer Katagiri, and since that day Gallagher had been intrigued. What made this wine so worthy of recommendation from his adversary? He poured his glass and swirled the golden liquid, watching as thin tendrils of it stuck to the glass. He lifted it to his lips to breathe it in, tipped it back and-

"Colonel Mannequin, I presume?"

He lowered the glass, annoyance flaring after not being able to taste it. He slipped his feet off the desk and resumed what he imagined was a professional stance. If he couldn't sip his wine, he would at least toy with this newcomer. "And you are...?"

"Second-Lieutenant Gary Biaggi." he said, leisurely taking a seat across from him.

Gallagher held back a smile when he realized that the man was lying. Not to conceal anything, but to test the amount of information power that his supposed new Colonel had. "By all means, take a seat, Mr. Al-Saachez."

The name made him sick and he didn't know why. His stomach was clenched and his mood was shifting to silently burning fury for reasons he couldn't understand. He must have known this man before his memories were replaced, and he must have _hated_ him. It was amusing. "Information is one of your strong points, then." the man mused. He looked every bit the middle-eastern mercenary that he mentally identified himself as. He was in a suit and marginally well-groomed, but his eyes burned with a mischievous intensity that Gallagher imagined his own had, if they were seen.

"You could say that." he replied. He lifted his glass to his lips idly and sniffed the wine again, this time intending to taste it.

"Are we going to drink wine or speak business?" the man asked, voice laced with a threat that hadn't been made. He was annoyed.

So was Gallagher. This was the second time that the man had interrupted his wine-tasting. "If I said we were going to drink wine first and talk business second, what would you respond with?" The golden liquid taunted him as it swirled in his glass.

The man grinned. "I'd ask for red, if you have it."

"Very well answered." Gallagher nodded. "Red it is, then."

He rose and pulled open the empty cabinet that he'd been stashing his wine in. He knew that Colonel Mannequin knew about it, she'd added her own items here and there. A bottle of expensive water, vanilla extract, and a tall bottle of balsamic vinaigrette. He reached for one of the bottles of red that he'd opened not too long ago, then stopped. Instead, he picked up the vinaigrette_. __This_ would be interesting. He poured the glass out of the man's view before replacing the bottle and closing it, handing the man the glass. If he had to have a pretend meeting with a man who was here to see the colonel, he'd at least get some entertainment from it. It was clear that he instinctively didn't like the man. Somehow that made him more eager to see the man drink the acidic liquid.

"Thank-you, Colonel." the man said. "Or should I say Captain?"

Gallagher stopped, then sat slowly at the desk again. "How did you come to that conclusion?" he asked, picking up his glass and watching the man.

"I too have access to information." he smirked. "Colonel Mannequin is female, you are not...unless you're hiding a surprise that I don't know about. No one but the Colonels have access to their offices, and I haven't heard of any masked colonels in the A-Laws. You could be a major, but you don't carry yourself like one. You carry yourself like someone who has unlimited power, which you most likely do. That leaves one option. You're a captain with a license to do whatever he pleases...like, say, drinking wine in his Colonel's office?" The man said, swirling his 'wine'.

The man was good, Gallagher had to admit. Being called out on his charade made him annoyed and angry, but it also intrigued him. "Well done." he replied. "In that case, you may as well leave and come back tomorrow. If the Colonel isn't here by now she most likely isn't coming."

The man nodded. "I assumed as much."

Gallagher didn't really hear him though, he was watching the man. Waiting was more accurate. _Drink the wine..._ he silently commanded. As though on cue, the man brought the glass to his lips and tipped it back. He sipped, stopped, then finished the glass. He stood and set the empty glass on the table, tendrils of vinegar running down its edge. "Pleasure drinking with you, Captain." he said, mockingly tapping a finger to his brow in a casual salute. He left, leaving the door open.

Gallagher stared at the empty glass. He was infuriated. The man had played him, had robbed him of his satisfaction. He'd known what was in the glass and finished it anyways, presumably just for the fun of confounding the man who'd poured it. If he didn't have such an indescribable, innate hate for the man he'd just met he would have thought of him as an intriguing new friend. But he didn't.

The empty glass made him hate him more.

That was, until Gallagher heard the unmistakable sound of gagging and stomach contents hitting the ground outside. Seconds later he saw the redhead walk away, crossing the path of the floor-to-ceiling window.

Gallagher smiled, kicked up his feet, and finally sipped his glass of wine.

No wine had ever tasted so perfect in his life.

* * *

I hope you liked the bonus story! Let me know what you think!

Also, I'll be replying to inbox messages in a bit, ff isn't letting me see them :(

- Naishu


	16. Time Will Tell

AN: I'm back! Sorry about the delay, I was in two stage-shows this weekend, then had to learn steps for another dance, then had two midterms and a paper to write. I have a similar weekend coming up...sigh, then another two shows the weekend after (I make money as a dancer, either with choreographed partner dances, being in showgirl routines, or various other things like backup dancing and music videos...check out my fan page if you're curious!). The next chapter may take a few days. This is one of the shorter chapters that I've written. I planned on it being longer, but I liked where it ended and didn't want to continue from there. I loved re-watching the episodes for just before this chapter because of RIBBONS BITCH-SLAPPING LIU-MEI! I liked Ribbons a lot more after that.

From here on out I'll be slowly hammering in some wedges between Lyle/Rev, and hopefully laying some anchors to Lyle/Anew. I want to be clear though, Lyle/Anew won't be in the same kind of crazy-love that they were supposed to be in during the series (all three episodes...) because I can't get my head around it. There will be love, but conflicted love and such, and Lyle will do quite a bit of waffling around. I probably won't write from Anew's perspective as she gave no indication as to what kinds of things she'd be thinking about at any given moment. Allelujah/Marie and Marina will start to take more story importance for the next little while, and Tieria may turn over a different leaf. I haven't decided yet.

Kate: I'll keep more Setsuna in mind! As Marina is going to be coming back into the story she'll be talking with him, so there are definite areas that I can add him in more. The one-sided Halle/Sume will be explored a bit later, hopefully over some alcohol if I can ever get Sumeragi and Reverie in a room together when she's not being punished...(seriously, I've had it in my plan twice already and it hasn't worked out...of course the plan changed when I decided on a pairing). Anne: As for my time...I just seem to have a lot of it. I don't watch TV a lot, I get my homework done ahead of time, and I schedule every minute of my life. My chapters are mainly written between classes and/or at work (I'm allowed to write at work!), so they don't take out a huge chunk of time. My jobs on the other hand...I should pick one instead of three. I'm looking forward to your update!

Speaking of updates: EVERYONE UPDATE EVERYTHING! I want something to read.

* * *

**Time Will Tell**

_"Time is precious, but truth is more precious than time."_

_Benjamin Disraeli_

"Supervisor! Supervisor!"

Reverie looked at the bouncing white ball in front of her incredulously as it chirped its excitement. Sumeragi and Tieria stood in front of her, blocking her escape from the padded cell that she'd been banished to. "Really? A Haro as a supervisor?" she asked in annoyance.

Tieria nodded. "You've proven that you cannot be trusted to make rational decisions on your own. Haro is incredibly rational and is also linked with many of Ptolemy's systems. He'll warn us if you try to lock him away or reprogram him, so don't try it."

Reverie scoffed. "What decision would you rather I'd made, Tieria? I got information, I managed to power down the suit that would have damaged Cherudim, and I handed over necessary informat-!"

"Yes, and you also put your life in jeopardy, you could have shorted out Ptolemy's systems at a vital moment, and furthermore you displayed your as-yet untested abilities to the enemy." He said, cutting her off. "And in the case of Cherudim, you'd do well to remember that there are three other Gundams that you should be worrying about." He quipped. It was a dig at her worry over Lyle. She growled in her head. He was right, but she didn't have to like it.

"What do you think?" Reverie asked Sumeragi, who had been relatively quiet, especially as it was her orders that had placed Reverie in the padded solitary cell.

Sumeragi sighed. "I agree with Tieria. I understand what you wanted to do and I'm glad that you were able to get the information that you did, but you can't operate on your own like that. From forecaster to forecaster, you have to realize that you undermined my tactical plan and could have gotten any one of the Meisters killed."

Coming from Sumeragi, the confession hurt. She was right. They were both right. She'd done something stupid and she was dealing with the consequences. She hadn't felt this childishly upset since she'd broken her mother's favorite teapot while making her a surprise breakfast. It wasn't her intention to undermine Sumeragi, but the impact of her actions had done exactly that. _Impact, not intent_, her father's voice chided in her head. "I understand." She finally said, catching the white Haro and looking at its goofy robotic smile. "What do I need to know about this guy?"

"Finally, a useful question." Tieria muttered. She ignored his tone. "He will go everywhere with you. _Everywhere_. I've even had him programmed to be the operator of your new system once the finishing touches are put on it. He will control your sleep sedatives and your pain medication when the pseudo drives are nearby, as well as the escape shuttle if your system is disconnected from Ptolemy." He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "Also, if you decide that you're intent on doing something foolish, he'll be able to tranquilize you."

"_What!?"_ Reverie asked, looking at the little ball. "So I have to live with the constant paranoia that he might _shoot darts at me?"_

"Don't be ridiculous." Tieria quipped. "He won't have to shoot you. I took the liberty of placing four vials of high-powered sedatives in your body when you were unconscious. Haro can choose to activate any one of them if he needs to."

Reverie looked down at herself. Her whole body had been aching considerably since she woke up and she hadn't noticed any new pains.

"Anew Returner has already regenerated the cells over the incisions, so the locations of the implants are only known to myself, her, and Haro." He said.

Anew Returner. Right. Reverie had almost forgotten about her. She was part of the reason that Reverie was sitting in solitary right now. In her morphine and GN-particle induced haze she'd realized that she couldn't hear the woman's thoughts, and she'd lunged at her, demanding to know why and accusing her of being a monster, an innovator, or both. It wasn't a proud moment, to say the least. She wasn't completely misguided, though. Tieria was an innovator and she couldn't hear his thoughts, just as as she couldn't hear the thoughts of two of the pilots on the battlefield during their escape from the resource satellite. She didn't know what to think about the woman. Tieria was proof that there were innovators on Celestial Being's side, but Tieria himself acknowledged that he'd have to 'betray Celestial Being' to fit in with 'his own kind'. Where did Anew's loyalties lie? The more disturbing question was whether or not she was actually an innovator. Maybe she just had the unconscious ability to hide her thoughts. One was just as likely as the other at this point. Reverie sighed.

"Fine. Is there anything else?" she asked. "How long am I in here for?"

"Two more days." Sumeragi said. "We most likely won't need you until the repairs to Ptolemy are finished. You'll be allowed to have visitors, but only for half an hour at a time."

"Wonderful." Reverie muttered.

"Take the time to get used to your new friend, and to read up on his care manual." Tieria said, tossing her a data drive. "If you break him, we have more to replace him, but the other Haros won't be very forgiving…they're very loyal to each other."

"Great. See you in two days." Reverie muttered. Tieria nodded and left, but Sumeragi hesitated in the doorway.

"If you ever need to get in contact with me for information or anything else, let Haro know and he'll forward it to me. He can relay messages to any of the Meister's communication drives, although he's been instructed to not do so while you're in confinement." She said. Reverie got the distinct impression that she hadn't stayed back just to tell her that.

"Is there something else?" she asked. She couldn't tell what the woman was thinking at the moment. The GN Particle overload had turned all of the voices in her head fuzzy unless she was in physical contact with them, like all she was hearing was white noise, constantly. All she could feel were the emotions of the woman in front of her. Wordless expressions.

Sumeragi's breath caught in her throat, then she stepped into the room and let the door seal itself shut. Reverie assumed that Haro could open it if instructed. The woman leaned against the wall.

"I see a lot of myself in you, you know." She started. "Back when I was still a young forecaster. You have the same active energy, the same approach to your problems. You can think outside the box as well as any other forecaster, and you know that you can. It's given you confidence…a lot more than it should."

"I don't under-!"

Sumeragi cut her off, not rudely, but as though she wasn't finished with the thought. "You're getting cocky, just like I had. I thought I had it all figured out, like I could win at any one of the chess-game scenarios that the AEU could throw at me. It was that overconfidence that lead me to attack friendly forces, have my team killed, and have my…lover killed." She said. Reverie could almost feel the knot in the woman's throat. She could see the glossy sheen of the tears that she was holding back in her eyes. "If you keep doing what you're doing, pushing your boundaries and forgetting your limits…it'll be you whose responsible for wiping out your friends…it'll be your stomach that's twisted in grief as you watch someone you love die." Sumeragi said. "We're going to be fighting again within days. Think about what's important." She patted Haro on the head and the door opened. "I don't want what happened to me to happen to you." She said as she turned to leave. "There's only enough room on this ship for one problem drinker, after-all."

Then she was gone.

The humour of her last sentence was bitter. It wasn't funny at all, and it cut like a jagged knife.

"It's true! It's true!"

The white ball in her hands flapped its ears. Who knew a robot could be so smart.

* * *

That voice.

Lyle couldn't get it out of his head. He sat with his third coffee of the day in the empty cafeteria. The battle kept replaying itself over and over in his head. The shots, the dodges, the voice that came from the masked man who taunted him on-screen. The voice was Neil's. Of course it was. It had to be. The process of elimination told him otherwise. Neil was dead, Lyle was with Celestial Being. Who was that man, then? A clone? There had to be more useful people to clone than his brother. Someone with a similar voice? No. It wasn't similar, it _was_ Neil's voice. So who was he?

According to Reverie's reports his name was Ailin Gallagher. An A-Laws Captain with several commendations, courses, and a license to do what he wanted. She didn't mention the voice at all. It irritated him. She would have to have heard his voice. She would have seen him in person.

How had she not brought up his voice? Did she not recognize it? A twinge of hurt pulled at his mind as he considered the likelihood that she hadn't recognized his voice.

No. She would have.

She knew.

Why had she kept it from him?

Had so much changed between the two of them, or was he wrong to believe that she was open with him at all? She knew what he was thinking, what he was feeling, what his intentions were. He knew none of those things about her. That hurt.

He didn't know why she'd kept the man's voice from him.

He would find out.

One thing he knew for certain though was that the man, whomever he was, fought like Neil. The dodges, the perfectly executed long-range shots, the way that his mobile suit had barely leaned back before throwing a right hook. At the same time, he was completely different. His brother would never miss a shot intentionally, as this man had. Cherudim had never registered as being in the man's crosshairs for the first shot, which meant he'd aimed off. Neil didn't like to toy around when he was shooting, his accuracy ratings were enough to prove that. His brother also never had that snide tone in his voice.

"_What's the matter, Sniper Dear?"_

That was a tone reserved just for Lyle. The man was Neil, but he wasn't Neil. He was something else entirely.

"I seem to always see you looking gloomy."

"Anew! Anew!" Haro announced gleefully.

Anew stood, holding her own coffee and looking down at him, smiling. It was a sincere smile, carefree, as though they were sitting in a park back in Ireland. As though war didn't exist and almost-brothers weren't plaguing his mind.

"I can't say it's a bad thing…you cheered me up last time, after-all." He said, smiling himself.

"Is that so?" she asked, sliding into the seat across from him. "Let's see if I can do it again." She laughed. It was a light laugh, airy and full of the promise that she would most definitely lift his mood. They'd talked more than once since they'd met at the resource satellite and he liked their conversations. She was nice. More than that though, she was smart and gentle. She didn't have the biting sarcasm that he and Reverie playfully stung each other with, and she didn't have the weary look in her eyes that the brunette telepath carried almost always, unless on the range. It was refreshing in a way that he needed, especially as he was angry with the telepath at the moment.

"I really hope you can."

* * *

Allelujah watched as Marie pouted, looking as adorable as he'd ever seen her, yet at the same time plucking ever so lightly at the worry string in his heart.

"I feel horrible. I shouldn't have left the room." she said, examining the hem of her pants pocket.

"That's ridiculous Marie. Because you left the room Ian was able to be brought to sick bay and the Double-Oh Raiser was able to be brought to Setsuna. If you hadn't left the room Ptolemy might have been badly damaged." He pointed out. He didn't like seeing her upset, and she was definitely upset at the moment.

"But my job was to watch Reverie, and I didn't do that." She stated.

Allelujah shook his head. "Marie, Reverie is an adult. She made her own decision and that isn't your fault. You did the best you could at the time." He sat down next to her and pulled her against him. She was so small in his arms and he loved it. He stroked her silvery-white hair and nuzzled her head. "All anyone can hope to do is their best, Marie."

He felt her sigh against him. "I know, but I was given a job to do, and I didn't do it well."

"That isn't your fault." He repeated calmly.

"But now I'm stuck with no job again, no way to help. I don't want that, Allelujah. I don't want to be useless." She said softly. She looked up at him, golden eyes sad. He kissed the tip of her nose.

"You aren't useless Marie. No one thinks of you that way. They can all see the effort you make to be helpful around Ptolemy." She made effort all the time. Fixing machines, bringing everyone their meals, helping to compile information for Sumeragi, and even giving the support staff a break and helping to clean once in a while. More than that though, she helped in one instrumental way. She gave him a reason to fight…something that he thought he'd lost in that abysmal prison. "Marie, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't know why I pilot Arios…I fight harder because I know that I'm protecting you. That alone is enough of a help, isn't it?"

She slipped her arms over his shoulders and adjusted herself in his lap, looking up at him curiously. "What would you be like if I wasn't onboard?" she asked, tilting her head. His heart swelled at the gesture. This was the side of her that the rest of the crew never saw. Cute, curious, and even a little bit coy. To answer her question, he didn't know.

"I'm not sure, but I know that I wouldn't fight with the same drive or intensity."

"Why not?"

He sighed. It was complicated. Before the prison he'd known what he was fighting for. He never wanted anyone like them to exist ever again. Four years of solitude could change anyone's opinions, though. "I'd forgotten why I wanted to fight, to be honest…After spending those years in the prison something in me changed."

Marie nodded. "I could sense it when we fought…I'd always wondered what had changed."

"Did I ever tell you why I used to fight?"

Marie shook her head.

"I wanted to end war so there would never be a reason for people like us to be made." He said.

"Which is why you destroyed the Super Human Institute, right?"

He nodded. "That was my only goal, and it was why I fought time after time. I…hated what I was. A weapon of war. A person made to fight…"

"Someone who didn't deserve happiness…right?" Marie questioned, looking away. Of course she understood…she was like him. A Super Soldier. He nodded and kissed her forehead.

"After I was taken to the prison, though, that changed. Being a Gundam Meister in an A-Laws facility makes you quite a target for pent-up aggression, and time and time again I'd find myself beaten over nothing. Every hit was meant to break something. Bone, flesh, _me._ It didn't happen, though. Instead, as it happened time and again, I became proud of what I was. They could hit as hard as they wanted but my bones wouldn't break. They could starve me as long as they wanted but I wouldn't die. They could keep me locked in solitude for years, but my muscles wouldn't lose their strength." He said, absentmindedly playing with her hair as he spoke. "It was my own silent victory."

"Allelujah…." She looked up at him in concern and he could see the guilt in her eyes.

"It wasn't your fault Marie." He replied when he realized his mistake.

Her face was pulled in worry. "Isn't it though? I'm the reason you were there in the first place…it was becau-!"

"No!" he interrupted. He didn't want her to finish. "When I saw you again I found a new reason to fight, Marie. Every time I fight it's because I know it'll protect you, and it'll make the world a place where you won't ever have to fight. That's enough for me. Is it enough for you, too?" he asked. He didn't want to ever see her fight again. He felt enough guilt already because he'd fought against her time and again. He didn't need to feel more because he'd broken a promise to a man that she herself called 'father'.

She studied him silently, then sighed. "For now it is."

"What do you mean?" he inquired. 'For now' implied that there would be a time when it wouldn't be enough for her.

"If there comes a time that I have to fight, I want to, Allelujah. Everybody here has accepted me and forgiven me so easily…even Feldt. If there ever comes a time where I need to take up arms to fight for them, I want to."

He sighed. "Will we talk about it if the time ever comes?" he asked. Part of him was scared to hear the answer.

"If there's time, yes." She said. She buried her face in his shoulder and he let it go. He knew the discussion was far from over, but at least she was willing to talk to him about it.

"What ended up happening to Reverie?" he asked, changing topics.

"She was sent to solitary confinement right after she left the infirmary…she's been there for a day and a half already."

Solitary.

He remembered that. The word brought mixed feelings. The solitary in the prison had been pitch black and full of the echoes of the sounds from outside. Ptolemy's solitary was brightly lit and devoid of sound. It seemed like solitary could never encompass all five senses. What would it be like for someone who could hear what everyone was doing?

Maybe he'd pay her a visit later.

* * *

After a few hours of reading the manual for her new 'supervisor', Reverie idly watched as the white ball-bot rolled around, chattering to itself about this and that. She'd never really taken the time to observe a Haro before, but if her memory served her correctly Lyle's had never talked to itself. It was strange, but she wasn't exactly worried. It would be fitting if the Haro was as strange as she was.

The Haro wasn't really on her mind, though. She was completely lost in a much darker, less entertaining subject.

Lyle's brother.

She hadn't given much thought before as to why Gallagher's voice sounded like Lyle's. She hadn't thought about it in detail, and as days had passed she'd started to believe that his voice only sounded _similar_ to Lyle's. The escape from Lagrange Three had crushed that idea.

It wasn't similar, it was the same.

More than that, she'd gotten more than a glimpse into Gallagher's head. What she'd seen had turned her stomach to knots. He knew the Meisters. He knew that Setsuna had been a child in the Krugis-Azadistan conflict, that Allelujah was a super-soldier, and that Tieria wasn't necessarily human. He didn't know their names, though. It was like they'd been erased. He knew their fighting styles, their battle formations, and he knew who got along with whom.

For all intents and purposes, he knew as much as Lyle's brother would have.

Furthermore, he knew nothing that had happened with Celestial Being since around the time that Lyle's brother had died. She had no idea what to do with her knowledge. This particular type of knowledge was Kryptonite.

That was why she hadn't said anything.

She knew what kind of image everyone from the original Ptolemy's crew had of Lyle's brother. He was a mentor, a confidant, someone who could always be counted on and who would never let them down. He had been the glue that had held the crew together, and his death only strengthened the bonds that he'd made. In their minds he was a hero.

What would happen if she shattered that image?

What would happen if she told them that he was piloting for the A-Laws now, healed but with no real memories of them? Would they break apart? Would they refuse to believe it? Would it change their resolve to fight?

More than that, what if she gave them the hope that he was alive and she turned out to be wrong? He could be a clone, or a red herring, something made by the innovators to shake their resolve. He could be Lyle's brother with no hope of ever remembering that fact.

If she was going to tell them, she had to be sure that it really was Lyle's brother, and she had to be sure that there was a chance that he could remember. If she did any less than make absolutely sure, she had no idea what would happen.

The only thing crueler than death was hope, after-all.

Hope.

What would it do to Lyle?

Would he want his brother to return? Would he be glad to release the burden of being a Gundam Meister and happily run back to Katharon, or would he be destroyed? She knew that he both respected and disliked his brother. If his brother returned, would he still have a place here, or would Celestial Being do what others had been doing for his whole life and choose his brother over him?

They already did. It wasn't hard to see.

She wouldn't tell them yet. She couldn't do it unless she was sure.

Ailin Gallagher.

Neil Dylandy.

Only time would tell.


	17. Memento Mori

AN: This chapter gave me the worst case of writers' block I've possibly ever had. I wrote it and re-wrote it and changed perspective, then switched it back...all in all there are three versions of this chapter that I've written, but only this one really covered what I was looking for. I was really excited to write about the Memento Mori's destruction, but I have too much to cover to go with the chapter I originally planned, so this is *kind of* filler (to me anyways). I'm excited for the timeskip as I do have several chapters planned out for is utterly, utterly hectic right now, so no promises on an update again before next week (although somehow I had enough time to procrastinate and write a Dylandy-family one-shot...go figure).

I have to apologize for the capitalization carelessness/mistakes I've been making. I didn't realize that I was doing it, and I didn't realize that I was making an error! I'll try my best to break my habit now. If there's anything else that I repeatedly do that annoys any of you, please let me know and I'll try to fix it (also, I'm still in the market for a Beta...pwease?). I'm also trying to make my AN's shorter as they kind of tick me off, so if I have a message conversation going on with you already, I'll reply there from now on.

I listened to anything and everything to try to write this chapter.

* * *

**Memento Mori**

_"Remember you are mortal, remember you will die."_

Gallagher rubbed his temples in annoyance as the elevator of Ribbons' mansion shot up to the top floor. There hadbeen a dull tone ringing in his head ever since the mission to take out Celestial Being's base. Nothing got rid of it. Not pills, not alcohol, not even his sedative-induced sleep cycle. It was irritating and it was throwing him severely off of his usually impeccable game.

He knew what had caused it, too.

Cherudim's pilot, Lyle Dylandy.

The name had been stuck in his head along with the noise and it refused to leave. It was knawing away at his mind continually, like he was searching for something buried deeper than he was allowed to reach. He knew the man from somewhere, and he knew him very _very_ well. There was one person he knew that could explain what was happening, and he was on his way to see him. Regene Regetta. He had been the one to oversee his recovery, after all. He'd gotten the distinct impression from watching the interactions between Ribbons and Regene that the purple-haired Innovator wasn't particularly interested in obeying Ribbons. After spending the better part of the last six months working with and for both of them, he'd decided that Regene was more appreciative of his style of business. Simpler than that though, Ribbons pissed him off. He'd gone a step above dismissing belief in god and had decided that he was god himself. It irked Gallagher to no end. If Ribbons was god, then he'd gladly follow the purple-haired Satan-Regene instead.

He barely heard the ding of the elevator over the ringing between his ears, and he lowered his hands as he stepped out. Any sign of weakness was picked up on and ripped apart by the group of not-humans, and he wouldn't give them any playing room.

Regene stood by the window, looking at nothing in particular. There was no sign of Ribbons. To be honest, Gallagher was relieved. The man held no interest to him at all.

"Ailin Gallagher. What are you doing here?"

He knew the question was a formality more than anything else. "I can't just come to visit, Regene? That hurts." he pouted. He sat in the center of the long sofa that stretched across the room, making himself comfortable.

"If you weren't supposed to be in space preparing for a mission, you'd be able to do whatever you wanted. You _are_ supposed to be with the Memento Mori defence forces, aren't you?" Regene asked, almost coyly. Of course he already knew the answer. He'd been the one to assign the masked man to the team.

Gallagher chuckled. "You're chastising me as though this mansion isn't equipped with launch capabilities that can place me where I need to be after our conversation."

"And what conversation is that?"

"Who is Lyle Dylandy?"

Just bringing up the name made the tone in his head ring louder. He watched carefully as Regene's expressions changed. First shock, then frustration, then gleeful interest. They didn't linger, but flashed away as quickly as they'd appeared. Being able to hear thoughts had made Gallagher painfully aware of the amount that he didn't get to hear from Innovators. Those blanks had to be filled in with their strange brand of emotional expression. "Who do you think he is?" Regene asked, attempting to deflect his interest.

"Someone who was important to my – distorted – past. Correct me if I'm wrong…" He watched the innovator curiously. Having his eyes hidden really was an advantage when it came to emotion. All anyone had to go by was his characteristic smirk, or lack thereof.

Regene stayed silent until it became deathly irritating.

"Are you going to respond to me?" Gallagher asked, tilting his head. He didn't try to mask his impatience at all.

Regene laughed. "You said to correct you if you were wrong."

"So I'm not, then?"

"Not at all. In fact, you're right on target." Regene slowly said the last three words, then smiled as though he were privy to a secret that Gallagher didn't understand.

Gallagher sighed. "Can we skip the twenty-minutes of mindless banter that we usually go through before you tell me something useful, Regene?" the ringing between his ears was taking all the joy out of their normally chess-like conversations.

"KPSA. Ireland." Regene said, turning to face him with annoyance. "Now go. After you've made yourself useful with Memento Mori, you can hear more."

Gallagher bit back a remark. Being ordered around made him livid, no matter who it was that was doing the ordering. Regardless, he knew that Regene would keep his word. Lyle Dylandy was connected to his past. Regene knew how. That was enough to make Gallagher devour the information-food that was in the Innovator's palm. Eating out of someone's hand was better than starving, wasn't it?

He liked to think so.

* * *

Memento Mori. Who could create such a thing? A high-powered weapon that was being used to silence revolution? It was disgusting. It made Reverie's skin crawl, and if she'd ever had doubts about joining Celestial Being, they were gone now. How could the A-Laws destroy entire cities, entire networks of innocent people, just because their political leader had a difference of opinion with the Federation? Her jaw clenched in anger. She had to calm down.

They were on their way to take the weapon down. This meant that she was running her first trial of the NILE system, as she'd named it. Tieria had been mildly impressed, something that made her grin like a kid on Christmas.

"_Nile? What does it stand for?"_

"_Well, the river in former Egypt where the Ptolemy family was in power for centuries."_

"_And this is accurate to its function how?"_

"_Neuro-Interpretive Link-Emulating System. That's how."_

"_Interesting."_

Reverie looked down at her space-suit. It was like the Meisters, but it had been altered to accommodate the many biometric measuring devices that she was hooked up to. Cables were plugged in here and there across the surface of the suit and they snaked along the floor to their place in a switchbox. It was one of the suits that Setsuna had outgrown, and as such it was deep blue and white. The colors were somehow calming despite the scene around her. Her hands were secured to her chair arms and although gloved, they were slick inside and out with conductive gel that would make the GN current easier for her body to accept. The suit would stop her from burning, or so she'd been told. She hoped Tieria was right.

Haro bounced excitedly on the other side of the glass, a cable plugged into his mouth. She couldn't hear what he was chirping but she was sure it was strange. She was starting to realize that Tieria had given her one of the less-predictable bots. She was alright with it. The robot's incessant chatter had kept her occupied while in solitary.

A sharp screeching noise shot through her helmet and she yelped as Haro activated their two-way interface. "_Sorry! Sorry!"_ it chirped, dialing back the volume on her headset.

"You'd better be you little gremlin…" she muttered under her breath.

"_Do not understand! Do not understand!"_

Of course he didn't. Her Haro apparently didn't understand sarcasm.

"_Commencing mission! Commencing mission!"_ he chirped excitedly, obviously not bothered by his lack of information on gremlins. Regardless, the mission was straightforward. All she had to do was collect as much information as she could, and if at all possible cut back the power of the defensive force. Everyone else had much harder jobs, and she was worried about them all. She couldn't stop the pit of worry in her stomach from churning. It had been almost three days and she still couldn't hear what anyone was thinking…she could hear nothing but the same static-y white noise that had been knawing at her since she'd shocked herself.

Hopefully the current she was about to feel would fix her. She needed to be fixed badly…not being able to hear thoughts would severely impact her usefulness for information gathering, and by association could end up getting someone killed if she wasn't fast enough. She didn't want that. She'd spent her time in solitary seriously considering what Sumeragi had said to her, and she was ready to turn over a new leaf, and to try to let go of her forecaster instincts. She didn't want her pride to be the reason any of her friends died. Lyle, Setsuna, Allelujah, the Ptolemy crew, even Tieria. She didn't want to be the reason that any of them lost their lives, and if following orders to the letter was the way to avoid it she would.

"_Activating link! Activating link!"_ Haro chirped. This was it. She took a deep breath and looked up at the screen that counted down until the circuit would be opened. 00:05, 00:04, 00:03, 00:02, 00:01. "_Connecting! Connec-!"_

She didn't hear him finish. Bright green particle light radiated from the capsules that were wrapped around her hands, and she felt like she'd been ripped underwater! Her body was thick and sluggish, like she was stuck in thick mud or quicksand. The heaviness of her limbs slowly fell away, and she was burning hot and tingling. She tried to suck air into her lungs, slowly at first, then with strained deep breaths as the white noise in her head disappeared. Time seemed to move very, very slowly. Her breathing returned to normal and there was silence. The burning ebbed away, leaving her muscles humming with energy. She felt like she'd be tingly to the touch.

_Complete! Complete!_

She couldn't hear Haro anymore, but his robo-words spilled across the screen to her left. Haro's words didn't reach her, but the thoughts of Ptolemy's crew certainly did. They didn't compete for space in her head like usual. Instead, they were all clear. It was nothing like the experiments the AEU had done. Those had left her in a foggy haze of mental confusion and painkillers. She wasn't in any pain at all this time. She was humming with energy and was deaf to anything but thoughts, but she wasn't in pain. Suddenly she realized that she couldn't feel the pain of the pseudo GN-Drives.

That realization made her smile.

Memento Mori. Remember your mortality. She hoped the Gundam Meisters would remind the A-Laws of exactly how mortal they were.

* * *

Lyle gripped Cherudim's controls with trembling fingers as he saw the after-image of what had been Katharon's second fleet. He knew the footage was already a minute old by the time it had reached him, and he felt his jaw twitch in protest as his teeth clamped together in anger.

Sergio. Arthur. Harrington. Rath.

They were all in the second fleet. They'd all just been vaporized. He cursed at the plan through his teeth as he stood behind Tieria and Seravee. He should have been out there with Setsuna, helping to protect those who'd protected him time and again. He should have been watching their backs just as they'd watched his during their numerous skirmishes with the A-Laws in years past. He knew that that was a lie though. He was exactly where he needed to be, and the plan was exactly what he needed to follow. His fingers trembled with anger and destructive sorrow as he calibrated the windage of his aiming system in preparation for his shot.

_Click. Click. Click._

Windage was a funny term. It implied wind just as much as it implied bullets. He had neither. All he had was an energy beam that was going to send that damned A-Laws fleet and its satellite weapon to the hell they all deserved.

"Lockon, now!" Sumeragi said. It was time for the first part of her plan. He didn't respond, but listened as Haro chirped excitedly.

"_Deploy shield bits! Deploy shield bits!"_

They had to last 200 seconds until his shot. He could see the glowing swirls of Trans-Am as the pieces shot off Cherudim and around Seravee, their pattern of flight whipping across his monitoring screen. He didn't have to worry about their motion though, Haro was more than capable of maneuvering them as he finished calibrating one of the most important shots of his life.

_Click. Click._

There. That was the sweet spot. The crosshairs of the sight sat neatly, lined up with the projection of what his target would look like and where it would sit based on Ptolemy's predictions.

Gina. Treig. Ken. Michio.

He wished he could make this shot with bullets. The A-Laws deserved bullets. A beam was too clean and it was over too fast. He wanted each and every one of them to feel the impartial judge of hot iron ripping through them. He wanted them to feel the cold set in as their blood ran out, just as all the men, women, and children had at Katharon's desert base. A beam was too quick.

"_Shield bits running out! Shield bits running out!"_

He wasn't worried. The still calm of his anticipated shot had settled over him. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, not wanting his anger over his friends' sudden deaths to make his fingers shake and steal his revenge. He thought about the first time he'd shot something. A Red Deer.

Cold air tugged at his memories and the sound of a transitioning fall-winter wind filled his mind, drowning out his blaring control panels and the swirling pink-fire red of Trans-Am. He was twelve again on his uncle's property. The sun was setting in the grey sky, the leaves all around him were frosted and his breath came out in slow, foggy clouds. He couldn't let this deer escape. He'd chased it silently all day long. He'd seen other deer pass by as he followed silently, but it had to be this one. This was the one that Neil had missed. His brother had sent it bounding into the woods. His brother had missed, but Lyle wouldn't.

"_Ten seconds! Ten seconds!"_

He opened his eyes, watching as Seravee bent to make a sturdy support for his GN rifle. He laid the weapon across the other Gundam's back and activated the advanced aiming system made available through Trans-Am.

"_Lockon"_ Sumeragi's voice acknowledged.

"_Lockon Stratos." _Allelujah agreed.

"_You are Lockon Stratos!"_ Tieria. Somehow, that voice was the most important. He had to make this shot.

The GN rifle was the one his uncle had lent him.

Seravee was the fallen tree that he'd rested his muzzle on.

The electromagnetic resonator was the red deer.

He was Lockon Stratos.

"Just like the name says, targeted and _firing!_"

He pulled the trigger slowly and steadily, his eye never leaving his target. He imagined that he could feel the recoil of the rifle, but he stayed put, following through. The searing bright light of the GN Particle shot lit up his irises and he still stayed completely still, his finger holding the trigger until Ptolemy swerved to the side and shot past his target.

He lifted his finger off the trigger and felt like he was hanging in empty air.

Marc. Raj. Abdeela. Maxwell.

He felt the vibrations of the first explosion ripple through his body. He'd hit his target. He'd destroyed the satellite weapon. He'd made the shot. Trans-Am powered down as a chorus of cheers rang through the ship. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

The deer disappeared into the woods.

Bright yellow paint was splattered over its heart.

* * *

Sumeragi's eyes ripped through the information that was flowing in from the NILE system. Having White Haro be the one to man the system had turned out to be the best idea that Tieria had possibly had in the last few weeks. The information was separated neatly and was color coded according to urgency. Blue was information that could be processed after the mission, green was information that could help her adjust her plans if necessary, and red was information that was at the highest level of urgency. So far she'd only seen one red update.

She rechecked all of her information on the attack that had just been completed, then turned her attention back to the NILE screen.

Red.

_NU 84: Enemy approaching, four mobile suits. Gadessa, Garazzo, Empress, Proculeza. _

"_Dammit!"_ she cursed, causing Lasse and Anew to turn curiously. "A-Laws are launching a surprise attack. Anew, set Ptolemy's course for Earth, we can try to weed some of them out through the atmosphere!"

"Ma'am." She said, turning back to her controls.

"Lasse, open gun ports 8 through 12. Load smokescreen." she half-barked. He didn't bother to nod in return. His hands flew over the keyboard to his left as he instructed the ship. Sumeragi turned. "Feldt, have Setsuna distract them as long as possible. Instruct him to return before he's sucked in by the atmosphere. What is Arios' recharge rate?"

"89% and climbing!"

"Have Allelujah launch as soon as we're through atmospheric re-entry phases one and two. Have Lockon and Tieria prepared to launch as soon as they recharge."

"Got it." Feldt confirmed.

They'd just destroyed the satellite weapon, something that had taken an intense amount of planning and attention to detail. She couldn't let them all go down now. All she had was her tactics, but that was all she needed, or so she hoped. She'd devoted so much of their energy towards the satellite weapon that she'd barely left anything in case of a surprise attack.

A-Laws seemingly had predicted her carelessness.

The thought made her blood boil.

"Now entering phase one of atmospheric re-entry, but Double-Oh isn't with us!"

"_What!?"_ Sumeragi demanded. They needed Setsuna more than ever. There was no way Allelujah could hold off more than one innovator-operated suit on his own. She believed in him, but that feat would even be difficult for the Double-Oh Raiser. "Send him our descent coordinates if possible. What is his trajectory?"

"Communication is being disrupted by solar interference. It's impossible to tell, he's fighting his descent path. There's no way to calculate where he'll land!" Feldt said in alarm. The worry was clearly evident in her voice and Sumeragi couldn't blame her. She could feel her imminent guilt twisting at her stomach. She pushed it away. She could feel guilty later. Right now she had to think clearly.

"He'll have to make it to the surface on his own then. Lasse, fire smokescreen in 00:15."

"Got it."

She watched as the radar finally picked up the mobile suits. As predicted, there were four of them. The mobile armour likely couldn't make the trip to the surface. That left three. Two innovator models and the pseudo-Gundam. Sumeragi smirked. They were ready for the attack. Even if they weren't as ready as she would have liked, they were already a few steps ahead. Now they just had to stay that way.

* * *

_Three hours later._

"_Are you ever gonna wake up?"_

Allelujah felt like he was floating. He had no idea where he was, what had happened, or why he couldn't seem to move his limbs. He tried, he really did, but he couldn't manage to so much as twitch his numb fingers.

"_Of course you can't. Have you forgotten all about being pushed to the back of your mind?"_

To the back of his mind? He wasn't really sure where his mind was at the moment. All he knew was that he was slowly starting to panic as his body wouldn't move. Had he died? Was he in a coma? Was he drowning?

"_Idiot. Can't you remember what happened when we fell to Earth?"_

Earth. Right. Ptolemy had been under attack from three mobile suits. Tieria had destroyed one, one had taken off shortly after that, and the last one, the pseudo-Gundam…

That's right.

Arios' cockpit had been slashed.

So he was dead.

"_You insufferable moron. We're not dead. We're the opposite of dead…at least I am. I'm very much alive."_

Wait.

_We?_ He'd been listening to someone talking…someone that he wasn't surprised to hear in his head. That could only mean…_Hallelujah?_

"_It's about damned time. I'd started to think you'd forgotten me, Allelujah."_

Hallelujah was back? But how? There was a barrier of scar tissue between the two of them that stopped either one from talking to the other. He'd originally thought Hallelujah had died, but Reverie had disproven that idea. He had been silenced for so long…there was no way that the scarring had disappeared. It was inoperable, or so he'd overheard during one of his beatings at the federal detention center. There was no way. He was imagining Hallelujah.

"_That would be a good explanation, if we weren't being operated on as we speak, Allelujah."_

Operation? _What!?_

"_That's right. Of course the doctors at the prison couldn't fix us. The world is so behind the times with technology…Celestial Being on the other hand…"_

Wouldn't they have fixed him ages ago if they could have? His performance had been obviously altered since Hallelujah had left, and he couldn't use quantum brainwaves anymore. That alone should have been enough for them to try to fix him. Why now?

"_Allelujah, stop over-thinking things." _He heard what could have been a frustrated snarl. _"I was trying not to tell you this…we're barely alive. That man nearly killed us, and we're lying under Shia Mazarenco's knife right now as he tries to pull a piece of Arios' console out of our brain. The scar tissue is gone. He took that away half an hour ago…now he's steadily, steadily slicing away at that damned console shard."_

If there had been air in Allelujah's mental lungs, it was gone in a startled gasp over his situation. How could the same type of injury hit them twice, in the same spot?

"_Not the same spot Allelujah, just close enough to make a difference. You're a Gundam Meister; consoles exploding are part of the job"_

He'd forgotten how condescending Hallelujah could be.

"_That's right. If you keep up your moping I'll get worse."_

Allelujah chose to remain silent. He knew exactly how bad Hallelujah could get, and he hoped, _prayed_, that when he woke up he'd still be alone in his head.

If only he could be so lucky.


	18. Undercurrents

AN: Another chapter! Hopefully I've gotten back to my previous tone here. I wrote this one with no defined word count in mind and it ended up working out well. I was glad to see that people had been updating things as I had something to read once I got home! On the topic of Haro and Cherudim (in case I detail them again), I've always assumed that Haro was responsible for the shield-bit system and the motion of Cherudim, while Lyle would be in control of shooting etc. As for windage...I imagine there would be some version of manual adjustment necessary with the Gundam, especially where it can operate in several atmospheres. Other than that, I can't think of anything I really have to say about the last chapter...I just *kind of* would like to forget it exists. I'll be editing it when I have the motivation.

I'm not entirely sure what I listened to for this chapter...I'm going to assume I had my iPhone on shuffle because I can't remember a single song.

On a random note, anyone else notice that the Dylandy family is really fond of 'y'?

* * *

**Undercurrents**

"The things you can see are occasionally the same things that make you blind."

Ptolemy had been eerily silent since its landing on Earth. After everyone had finished running around in a panic, and once the threat of the A-Laws mobile suits had faded, it was like no one had anything to do other than sit nervously in their rooms and wait for news on Allelujah. Ptolemy hadn't been damaged as badly as it could have, and although the sounds of the Haro Carols could be heard drilling and welding away, the rest of the ship felt like a graveyard. There were no sounds of life…it was like everyone on board was scared to breathe lest it affect the super-soldier's chance of survival. Lyle could have waited apprehensively with them, but he knew that it wouldn't really help. Allelujah's survival was probably more guaranteed than any other person on-board; he was designed to survive, after-all.

It felt like Lyle was the only one left alive…even Haro was notably silent as he rolled along behind him. He wasn't really sure where he was going. He'd tried to stay occupied in his room, writing his report and re-examining the battle footage to make sure he hadn't missed anything, but after two hours he realized that he couldn't find anything left to fix. After that he'd gone to the hangar to see if Cherudim needed any reprogramming or work, but Haro had quickly and abruptly informed him that his was the only mobile suit that hadn't been damaged. The hangar had been dead silent as well, Ian was unconscious and still would be for another four days, and the Haro Carols were too busy fixing Ptolemy's outer shell to fill the hangar with their working hum. The silence of the hangar had given him a chill.

He'd poked his head into the cafeteria next but had come up empty. No one was there. The chefs were missing for some unexplained reason, and Marie was of course steadfastly stationed on the other side of the operating room's glass. Milena was likely watching her father, and Feldt had disappeared without a trace. Even Anew wasn't able to keep him company as she was in the OR with Shia, helping Allelujah toe the line between dead and alive. Where did that leave him? Standing outside Reverie's room, his hand idly hanging in front of her door. He lowered it when he realized his foolishness. She was still unconscious after Trans-Am…she wouldn't answer even if he knocked.

With all the injuries on Ptolemy and the limited space in the infirmary, Reverie had been moved back to her room to sleep off her exhaustion. If everyone wasn't acting so strange, Lyle would have been enraged. They'd left her alone, supervised only by a Haro. The sound of the door sliding open reverberated off the walls with frightening intensity in the silent ship and he stepped into the room, looking down at the sleeping telepath. She looked worse than she had the last time she'd gone through Trans-Am. Deep circles ran under her eyes and she was surprisingly more pale than normal. Her lips were a strange shade of purple that made his eyes flick to the white Haro that sat contentedly next to her, its eyes flashing for each beat of her heart. He saw her chest rise and sighed. She was breathing, but she looked half-dead.

He wasn't sure what to do. There was no way to tell when she would wake up, and there was nowhere to sit in the room, her desk chair was missing for reasons unknown, and unlike the infirmary, there was no place for a guest here. He could sit on the edge of the bed as he'd done last time, but his pride wouldn't let him. He was still mad at her. They hadn't had a chance to speak since he'd fought the A-Laws telepath and he'd been harbouring a grudge since he'd heard the man's voice. He hadn't visited her in solitary at all due to it, as hard as it had been, and even when they had been in the same room after her release they hadn't spent time alone. That was his fault too, of course. Lately he was always with Anew.

Anew. His time spent with her had started as a distraction from the awkwardness between he and Reverie, but he'd come to actually enjoy the time they spent together. She was carefree and didn't seem to suffer from the same form of debilitating humanity that the rest of them shared. It was refreshing. As much as he enjoyed the time spent with her, it seemed to blatantly underscore the tension that had evolved between he and Reverie. He could spend an entire day with Anew, talking and laughing and generally finding comfort in her simplicity. The problem was that the more time they spent together, the more hyper-aware he became of the brunette telepath. Just passing each other in the hall made him aware of their proximity. Being in the same room for a briefing left him strangely confused, as though he didn't know where to look, or if he should respond to her, or if he should joke with her like he would have before Lagrange Three. It was ridiculous, but it told him that he felt something towards the brunette that was outside friendship and possibly outside lust. He didn't like it. He knew that she knew all of this, of course. She could hear him think. _That_ made it almost embarrassing, and he somehow found himself feeling like he was in grade school again. He hated it, yet for some reason she never said anything. She darted away from him just as quickly as she appeared. She avoided his gaze as much as he avoided hers, and she never brought up his anger towards her, or the awkwardness between them. It confused him. He expected her to confront the awkwardness between the two of them right away, but she never did. Neither did he.

She stirred and he looked down at her. Her expression was pained and she was trembling, clinging to her pillow, and he knew that she must have been having nightmares again. Her hair clung to her; she was probably bathed in nightmare sweat, and he was sure the thin black turtle-necked undershirt wasn't doing much for her. He contemplated pulling the covers up for her, but decided against it, as though it would cross an unspoken boundary. He saw her Haro's eyes start to flash faster and he realized that she'd be waking up soon.

What should he do?

What if she woke in the same state as she had last time, panicking and clinging to him? Would he be able to keep his grudge and confront her if she looked at him with hurt greyish eyes, or would he forget it and want to comfort her again? He couldn't stay. She didn't want him to stay…she didn't want to be close to him. She'd made that clear by her awkward response to the last time he'd comforted her after Trans-Am. He wanted to stay, but he knew that he'd only hurt himself in the end. She didn't want him. He had to leave. He couldn't stay again and drag himself deeper.

"_Get up! Get up!"_ her Haro chirped, and his own started to roll around happily, chiming in with hers.

He had to get out of there quickly. He scooped up the orange ball and stepped through the doorway, taking one more look at her before disappearing into the hall.

* * *

Reverie sat up in a panic, but lay back down almost immediately. Her head was spinning and she felt like she was going to lose the non-existent contents of her stomach. Her body was drenched in cold sweat and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't surprised. She'd had another series of nightmare-memories. This time they were about the Taklamakan incident. Her mind had assimilated the fact that Hallelujah was responsible for what had happened to her, and although she felt horrible for it, the idea made her mad at Allelujah as well. Her stomach did a flip as a flash of the nightmare-memory came back and she rolled onto her side, closing her eyes and waiting for the room to stop spinning. The room finally steadied itself and she thought she'd be fine, but a fraction of a second later her mind was assaulted by an onslaught of thoughts.

_-..the shard went deep…I hope I can get it all out.-_

_-..Hallelujah, what are you talking about? I'm fine, hearing you doesn't change that.-_

_-..Lichty, Chris, Lockon…now Allelujah. My tactics…-_

"_Get up! Get up! Rude! Rude!"_ Haro interrupted.

He apparently didn't understand the concept of recovery. She needed to take a few minutes to just lay there and let her heartbeat return to normal. At least she was fixed. The past few days of not hearing anyone think had driven her crazy. "Quiet Haro, I'm up." she mumbled with a lot less conviction than she was entitled to.

"_Rude! Rude! Get up! Laaaaazy!"_

She sighed, covering her eyes with an arm and holding back an irritated groan. "What are you going on about, Haro?" The vibration from her voice was making her sick again.

"_You were asleep! You were asleep!"_ it chastised. For a medic, it was completely unaware of the amount of nausea that she was feeling at the moment.

"No kidding." she muttered. She steadied her stomach and lifted her arm off her eyes. She was slowly realizing that the Haro wouldn't stop chattering until she was up and about. "Why rude?" she asked, pushing off the mattress with remarkable stability. She must have been sick, it felt like she was in Earth's atmosphere, in full gravity. She knew that wasn't likely, though.

"_Visitor! Visitor! You were asleep! You were asleep!"_

She groaned in annoyance and resisted the urge to whip a pillow at the white ball. "Haro, I wasn't asleep, I was comatose. I probably had a lot of visitors. I'm getting up now, so you can stop picking on me, alright?" She pulled the heart monitor off her finger and the IV from her arm. She was starting to look like a drug addict between the IV marks and the bruising on her left shoulder from the nightly sedatives. Her mother would fly off the handle if she saw her now, not that she would get a chance, thank-god.

"_Just two! Just two!"_ Haro chirped as she stood. Her legs felt shaky and heavy, and she started to realize that she _was_ in an atmosphere with heavy gravity. That didn't necessarily mean earth though, they could have been in another resource satellite for all she knew. She steadied herself against the wall as she sorted her shower basket, making sure that she'd replaced everything. She wasn't particularly worried about her visitors.

"Alright." she said, slinging a towel over her shoulder and immediately regretting the fast-action. "I'm going for a shower. You behave yourself." She instructed, slipping into her shower sandals and letting her door slide open.

"_I'm coming! I'm coming!"_ it chirped. She flinched. She'd hoped that it would let her have just this one little piece of her life to herself, but it seemed to have other ideas. She liked having the company, but she'd always looked forward to her alone time in the shower. She would still be kind-of alone; Haro wouldn't be in the shower with her, but he would still be there, probably sitting on the bench and chattering away her silence.

"Fine. Come on." She unplugged the cable from his mouth and set him on the ground. If he insisted on following her, he could roll himself. She was in no condition to be carrying around her pint-sized overlord.

The door closed behind them and Reverie became suddenly very aware of the silence that seemed to envelop the whole ship. There was no hum of power, there were no people running around. Everything was deathly silent except for the hum of thoughts in her head. She picked through them quickly as she stepped into the female shower room and set her things down. She took a moment to brace herself against the wall as she felt a dizzy spell returning, then sat down to process what she was hearing. They were on Earth, so that explained the gravity. No one could give her an explanation for why they were on Earth, but she assumed that Sumeragi had used the atmospheric re-entry to weed out the mobile armour. Allelujah was severely injured and was being worked on at the moment, but from what she could hear of his thoughts he would be alright. If he was well enough to be bickering with Hallelujah, he had to be well enough to survive. Then again, using a person's conversations with their other personality as a sign that they were alright was kind of misleading.

She started the water and shed her under-flightsuit shirt and miniscule black shorts. They couldn't really be called shorts to be honest, she had pairs of underwear that probably sat lower than these did. The shirt fell on Haro but he didn't protest, instead he chattered to himself in his newfound t-shirt tent.

The water felt amazing and she groaned happily at the massage of the high-pressure water on the back of her neck. She resumed her check of all the crew members as she massaged her shampoo into her scalp. Ian was dreaming away in his recovery unit, Lasse was on the bridge, and Marie was waiting apprehensively for Allelujah. After some digging she could see that Tieria was alive and working on a report. Lyle…she couldn't hear Lyle! A flash of panic shot through her and she ducked her head out of the shower to look at Haro in a panic.

"What's the status of Cherudim!?" she demanded, looking down at the little fabric-covered bot. She and Lyle had been strange lately, but that wasn't enough to stop the worry from coiling in her stomach. No one was sad over him, but would anyone be? The thought made her angry. If he was injured…

"_It's fine! It's fine!"_

"Did something happen to Lyle?"

"_Lockon's fine! Lockon's fine!"_

It was strange to think of him as 'Lockon'. He was likely outside, out of the range of her abilities. She breathed a sigh of relief and started to look for other familiar voices. Feldt was worrying over Allelujah, Mileina was overseeing the repairs to Ptolemy's hull, Setsuna….where was he? She couldn't see his thought-pictures.

"Haro, what's the status of Double-Oh?"

"_Missing! Missing!"_

Setsuna. A pang of worry added itself to the steadily twisting knot in her gut. The stoic teen wouldn't have gotten himself killed. She knew that. No one was mourning him, and they would definitely all be distraught if something dangerous had happened to him. "What happened?"

"_Lost him! Lost him!"_

What!? Was it even possible to simply _lose_ a Gundam Meister? A person wasn't something you could easily misplace. "How was he 'lost', Haro?"

"_Atmosphere!"_ It replied. She took note that it dropped its habit of repeating itself. The atmosphere. That made sense. If Setsuna hadn't made it back to Ptolemy in time, he could have easily been separated and be hundreds of kilometers away by now. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or not. He could be fine or he could have been injured or captured for all they knew. She didn't know, though, so she couldn't justify being more than moderately worried. If any one of the Meisters had a chance on their own, it was Setsuna. She ducked back under the water.

The boy-soldier would definitely be alright on his own. She would still worry, though.

* * *

Katharon's European location was humming with sounds of work and conversation. They'd just had ten new mobile suits added to their roster, four Enacts and six Tierens. They'd been recovered from a poorly destroyed base in the Taklamakan region, and although they were badly in need of repair, they were still mobile suits. Deiter watched with passive curiosity as his stepfather ordered sets of mechanics to each suit and followed along behind them. He'd be busy for hours, and it gave Deiter the perfect opportunity to figure out what the man had been up to. He stalked off nonchalantly, deliberately taking the long way to the man's room through a series of rarely used hallways.

Something strange was going on. He wasn't sure what it was, but his stepfather had been acting differently since Celestial Being's base at Lagrange Three had been destroyed. Some of the other men had interpreted it as worry about his black-sheep stepdaughter, but Deiter knew better. While he got along with his stepfather, he knew innately that the man hated his sister and wouldn't be particularly bothered if she died. The knowledge angered him, but his sister and stepfather had a colourful past. Deiter liked to believe that the man had changed since his sister had snapped, but he was crucially aware that his stepfather's violence had steadily decreased as Deiter had grown older and taller. He knew that his physical stature had more to do with Bruns' apparent pacifism than any real effort at change. No one wanted to pick a fight with a giant eighteen year old pilot, after-all. Still, the man had redeeming qualities. His expertise as a mechanic made him incredibly useful to Katharon, and once his aggressiveness was pushed back he was actually pretty funny. He and Deiter had spent quite a bit of time working on his Enact and talking about this and that, about everything really. For the last week though, those conversations had stopped. That was what had lead him to the dimly lit hallways.

He watched as dust skittered away along the ground as he walked, and he pushed his blonde bangs out of his face as he looked for the right hall. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach that told him that what he was about to find wouldn't be very pleasant. Still, he didn't know what he would do. Could he talk to his stepfather about it? No. That wouldn't be a good idea. The man wasn't seeking a fight from him, but Deiter knew that if threatened, the older man wouldn't hesitate to be violent. Could he bring it up to Klaus? Possibly, though no one was really sure where Klaus had disappeared to, even though he kept contact with the branch. He could possibly keep the information quiet, but that depended on what it was. He had to figure out what he would be hiding before he decided on a course of action.

He'd reached the hall that lead to the mechanic's wing and pushed himself into a doorway as a set walked past at the end of the hall. It wasn't like it was strange for him to be there, he often visited his stepfather, but he didn't want to run the risk of the older man knowing that he was snooping. He stayed statuesquely still until he heard their steps die away, then ducked quickly into Bruns' room. He flicked the light on, met with the almost insanely well-organized space. It didn't unnerve him at all, he was used to the man's compulsive need for order. The fact that everything was always so organized made it much easier for Deiter to figure out what had changed. He'd always been observant, and he immediately noticed a red leather-bound book that hadn't been on the shelf before. He examined the rest of the shelf carefully before pulling it from its spot and opening it. Somehow, he wasn't surprised to find that it was hollow. The cover was too solid to really be a leather-bound book, and it was far too light to be a book of its size.

He sighed. A hollow book wasn't exactly an indication of guilt, nor did it say anything other than the man wanted to hide valuables. He kept looking. Everything else in the room seemed to be in its usual insanely perfect order and Deiter realized that he was probably being paranoid. The drawers were orderly, the books lined up properly, all the surfaces in the room could have shone if there was more than one light. The floor was littered with tiny pebbles and dust. That was strange. Deiter knelt and looked at the tiny bits more closely. They weren't gravel from boots, nor were they metal filings or anything else that a mechanic would track to their room. They were light and somehow fake, as though they weren't tiny rocks at all, but were something else…

"…like jip rock." he realized.

He looked up. Sure enough, the edging around the one dim light was freshly disturbed. He reached up and felt around the light, his height making it startlingly easy to reach the fixture. He wiggled the light mount out of the ceiling and carefully let it hang. The hole was big enough to fit a hand in, and he felt around the dusty, dark surface for whatever he was sure was hidden there. He felt nothing at first, then shifted his hand. He felt something small and round. He pulled it down and put his hand back up, feeling around again and coming back with something that shocked him.

A _brick_ of neatly bound bills. He didn't put his hand up again; instead, he looked at the two things he'd found. In one hand he held a tiny round microphone, and in the other he held what seemed to be at least a few thousand dollars. He knew there was more in the hole, he'd felt it. Bruns was definitely up to something, and someone else had a vested interest in it. Deiter felt sick. His stomach twisted in knots and his hands felt weak as he replaced his findings and slid the light's fixture back in place. What would he do? First, he'd get the hell out of that room. He did a sweep to make sure that he hadn't left anything out of place, then left as quickly as he'd arrived.

He would find out as much as he could about his stepfather's illicit behaviours, and he'd find out exactly what kind of information it was that the man was being paid to collect. In the meantime, he'd make it much harder for the man to betray the organization. He walked with long, confident strides.

He was going to report an anonymous mole.

* * *

Information spilled across the lone screen in Gallagher's expansive room. The light of the screen was the only source of illumination in the massive empty space, but it was still too bright for the masked captain. His head was throbbing. The dull tone that had been ringing in his head for the past week had reached a shrill whine the second he'd started reading about the KPSA's activity in Ireland, and it had peaked when he found an article about a shopping center that had been destroyed. Now it was reverberating through his head and skittering across his scalp as though he had a tiny circular saw in his skull. He wasn't upset though. The pain was a metal detector of sorts, and he was willing to bet that shortly it would lead him to information gold.

He buried his masked face in gloved hands and tried to take deep breaths. He was shaking, and he'd never quite realized how hot his face was behind his mask before. Still, he smirked. The pain meant that he was inches away from a monumental discovery about his past. He'd read all about suppression, and he knew that his mind was coloured with it like a slum graffiti wall.

According to his memories - or rather, what he was supposed to _believe_ were his memories – he'd grown up in an Irish home a skip away from Tralee. He was the only child of a set of ordinary parents, and nothing of any interest had happened to him until he decided to enlist with the AEU. It couldn't be true. The pain in his head told him, _screamed_ at him that there was something that he was missing. If his supposed memories were true, then the bombing incident at the doomed Dublin shopping center shouldn't have bothered him at all. After-all, he'd supposedly never been to the capital city.

He took a deep breath and steadied himself to look up at the screen again. His head throbbed and he could feel a trickle of sweat run under the mask, but he looked up. He clenched his teeth and looked through one eye at the screen. He scanned over everything he'd read already before clicking a link to the victim's memorial page.

He was met with a list of names, and in some cases photos and a short biography here and there, for the more important ones, he guessed. He scanned through the first twenty or so names before looking back down and taking a break, his head pounding. He'd never felt so inept in his life, having to take a break from five seconds of screen time. It was pathetic, yet it was somehow a refreshing reminder that he tended to take life for granted. The thought made him grin.

Gallagher the philosopher.

He snorted and looked back at the screen. The list of names had to be easily five-hundred people long. It wasn't surprising given the type of attack it was and the amount of people who'd died, but it was still a daunting list. What if he spent all this time reading through it and not a single name stood out? He looked at the clock. He had nothing better to do, and he kept scanning through the list, breaking here and there to get his brain back under control. There were so many faces flashing in front of him, but not a single one stood out. One after the other, they all seemed to blur together into a picture of unimportance. He had to make an effort to read the names in-between the images, but those blended just as uninterestingly as the photos had.

Until three stood out.

Owen Dylandy, Lyndsay Dylandy, Amy Dylandy.

The tone stopped ringing in his head. It was the family of that Celestial Being pilot…or so he assumed. The probability of it not being the pilot's family was low, the reaction of his pain said that much. He needed to know more about the man…he was completely assured of that by the sudden silence that had fallen between his ears. That name had been the one to start the ringing in his head, and Regene had pointed him in the direction of the man's family. They were linked somehow, and they had been for much longer than Gallagher was capable of remembering.

He grinned.

He loved the idea that he and the Celestial Being sniper were connected.

It would make destroying him much more fun.


	19. Heads or Tails

AN: Wow, whirlwind week. I'm back in my own province now, but am trying to recover from poor sleeping habits (Jet lag sucks...). I can't even think of all the things I wanted to say in this AN other than we'll be going down a different road from the series very shortly, so you can expect the Lyle/Rev emotional stuff to be cut back quite a bit in the upcoming pieces. I'll respond to the reviews here as my PMs are being iffy today.

Stormy: I'm so glad to hear you say that! I really hope I can hold onto it after getting it back for the last chapter. Yes, Gallagher is an interesting head-case...I've dug through some of my textbooks and am treating him like a projected personality from Disassociative Identity Disorder. Criminal Minds does the same thing for me now :P They really have amazing quotes on that show...I really need to find a list of them all (I'm sure there's one online if I look). I can see how that one relates here :D. Don't worry about not responding right away, I'm just as hectic lately it seems. Anne: No worries! It's that busy time of year where no one has time for anything other than crying over lost free time. I really tried to imagine this story without Anew, but I couldn't do it. As much as I couldn't understand their relationship, I couldn't cut her out either. I'm glad that you like the way she's incorporated! Deiter will take a more important role shortly :D. I feel like Gallagher is hot to write, but I'd find him scary in person. I'm not sure why. I've been working at fixing my capitalization with he said/she said, but as it turns out Word 2007 likes to auto-correct those 'H''s to capitals...*shakes fist at Word*

I listened to 'You' from The Pretty Reckless for Rev's part, although I don't really have that atmosphere in my head, I just needed a song with that kind of tune. I'll be on a Pretty Reckless bender for a few chapters I think. I listened to Eminem and Hollywood Undead for Hallelujah's part...I think he'd appreciate either set of songs.

Warning for language courtesy of our favorite potty-mouth.

* * *

**Heads or Tails**

"_Don't taunt the alligator until you've crossed the creek"_

Tieria watched as bright flashes of light shot from Reverie's handgun, disappearing into one of the many gel targets in Ptolemys's range. He wasn't watching her with any kind of obvious movement, but he was keeping an eye on her nonetheless. Her marksmanship was horrible today, miles away from the records he'd watched over the past few weeks as she'd become better and better. His attention towards her had come as a result of Katharon. Apparently they had an information leak in their temporary European branch, and they'd requested her assistance in finding the culprit. Tieria wasn't so readily willing to let her go.

She snarled in frustration and hit the reset button for her target. He wasn't sure why she'd asked him to come to the range with her. He wasn't known for his time spent in the range, nor was he known for his admittedly impeccable pistol skills. Then again, anyone could shoot. Tieria would much rather be remembered for his excellent term as a Gundam Meister. This train of thought left him more confused about her request than ever. Couldn't she have asked Lockon's brother to accompany her? He finished his grouping as she sighed and raised her handgun again.

"I still don't know why you asked me to come here. My marksmanship is excellent, and although yours is not you don't seem interested in my advice." He quipped, hoping to get an answer more than anything. He didn't really have an interest in belittling her anymore. He'd somehow come to accept her. He wouldn't say that he liked her by any means, but her presence was no longer unwelcome.

"I told you when I asked you, to blow off steam." she replied, resetting her target again.

He looked at her sideways, then fired another set of rounds. "I fail to see how _you_ could be under enough stress to need to 'blow off steam', unless you count your terrible shooting today." Alright. Maybe he still enjoyed belittling her a little.

She lowered her weapon. "Well, I can't hear Anew Returner's thoughts." she said, ignoring his comment about her shooting. "That's got to count for something."

He didn't reply right away. He wasn't sure what to think of Celestial Being's newest member. Yes, she was a well-needed addition to the team, but she was a little _too _well-fitted to their needs. He may not have been human, but he believed in common sense enough to know that 'too good to be true' was the _real_ golden rule. His gaze shifted away from her to her Haro, who was notably silent. "That has been bothering me as well." he said, studying the white ball.

"Does it mean she's an innovator, like you?" she asked, slipping the safety on the handgun and idly examining it. He wasn't sure about that. It was a possibility, that much was certain. There were only two other people whom Reverie Traum couldn't hear, and both were innovators. He hadn't known what he was until he'd met Regene Regetta. If Anew was one, she most likely would be oblivious to it as well.

He looked away. "I'm not sure. It's quite possible that she could be. I wasn't aware that I was one until I met Regene, and I'm proof enough that Celestial Being and Innovators aren't necessarily natural enemies." He slipped the safety onto his handgun and slid it into his atmospheric holster. Now that Ptolemy was on Earth they were armed at all times. "On the other hand, there isn't a lot of information about her. Feldt could barely bring anything up, and although I'd like to believe that her information was erased, it isn't likely. We tried to hide the Meister's identities carefully, but even _they_ have histories here and there if one digs deep enough." He didn't like to admit it, but it was true. He was an exception like Anew Returner. There wasn't much information on him at all prior to his training with Virtue. Being an innovator definitely had to play a part in his lack of a 'past'. If one dug deep enough, they could find Setsuna on tape running through Krugis, Allelujah's file at the Super Human Institute, and Lockon's list of speculated assasinations, along with an embarrassingly large amount of information on both Lockons' childhoods. Mileina and Feldt escaped an Earth-bound history as they'd been with Celestial Being their whole lives, but outside of what Sumeragi called 'Celestial Babies', everyone had a traceable past.

"And me?" Reverie asked, holstering her own weapon.

Tieria snorted and pushed his glasses back up his nose. "As far as anyone knows, you disappeared from the AEU's medical facility and haven't been seen since. There's been speculation that you ran off with Katharon, or that you died, or even that you'd been reassigned under a new name to carry out interrogation work. Covering for your brother and stepfather was harder to do." he admitted.

She stared at him warily in thought for a moment before understanding his point. "If either of them was discovered to be working with Katharon, the Federation would likely reopen my file and speculate about my possible involvement with Celestial Being."

For how much he berated her intelligence, she was quite quick. He nodded. "That would work against us. Of course, A-Laws undoubtedly knows you're on-board Ptolemy. Unveiling their own telepath is proof enough of that." Despite what he said, he'd come to realize that the other telepath wasn't sharing as much information as A-Laws would have liked. Reverie easily knew the location of several Katharon bases, Celestial Being's supply locations, and several of their hiding places on Earth. If the other telepath was really interested in bringing down the organization, those locations would have become prime targets for A-Laws. Even though a decent amount of time had passed, they hadn't been attacked. It confused him. Why would the telepath keep that kind of information to himself?

"Tieria? Are you alright?" He didn't realize that he'd become distracted, but she was watching him curiously.

He nodded, then smoothed out his uniform shirt. His eyes darted to the clock as he looked for an excuse to leave. "It's time for Allelujah's round of regeneration to be completed."

She nodded. "Yeah, I have some calibrating to do with the NILE System." Apparently she'd caught his meaning. She straightened and stretched, her back making an audible crack that left him wondering about her health. They slipped out of the range and stood awkwardly for a moment in the hall, neither really knowing how to exit properly. Haro bounced happily and Reverie spoke first. "Well, thanks for coming with me, Tieria."

He nodded and turned to leave before stopping. "You know…"

"Hm?" she questioned, having already picked up Haro.

"We should do this again in the future."

"Shoot together?"

He nodded. "Or as you said, 'blow off steam'" He'd liked it. Normally he went to the range on his own for his standard marksmanship assessment, but somehow having another person there was comfortable, even if it distracted him marginally.

She looked at him warily, then smiled. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

_5 Hours Later_

Reverie walked away from the damaged observation deck and sighed.

She'd gone to the expansive glassed-in room to see if she could see Lyle anywhere. His thoughts hadn't been reaching her, and she was more determined than ever to talk to him and find out exactly what was going on. The problem was that he was always away from Ptolemy and out of her range of hearing. Intentional? She was almost sure of it. That was why she'd found herself on the observation deck, looking dejectedly for her friend. As it turned out, the particular shade of green that he wore stood out against the landscape remarkably well. It didn't stand out nearly as well as the bright pinkish-red of Anew Returner's jacket, though.

She sighed again.

She was frustrated. Her frustration didn't stem from seeing the two together at all, but arose instead from her gut reaction to the sight. Her stomach had twisted uncomfortably almost immediately, and the reaction confused her. Was it anger? Frustration? _Jealousy?_ It shouldn't have been any of the three. There was no reason to be feeling the awkward emotion that was tugging at her nerves, yet she was acting like a preschooler, jealous that her friend was paying attention to someone else. Was she even _allowed_ to be jealous of something as simple as human interaction? No. She wasn't. There was absolutely no reason for it. She and Lyle were friends, nothing more, as they'd both come to understand after their awkwardness at Lagrange Three. Even if they had been more than that, the situation didn't call for jealousy at all. They were walking. They weren't even _close_ to each other as they walked, yet the tension in her stomach wound like an over-tightened guitar string. She was being ridiculous.

Right?

She nodded as she walked through the hall, as though physically making a gesture would make a difference. She was being completely ridiculous. She should be happy that he was making friends outside her, and even if something did arise between him and the new addition to the team, she should be happy for it. She and Lyle couldn't work, even if she wanted it. She'd come to realize years before that no one could get close to her without resenting her abilities. Never having a private thought took its toll on those around her, and it had cut whatever connections she'd still had to her life before the accident. Her casual relationships had died, her family life had been destroyed, and her friends had distanced themselves shortly after that. Who could live with having someone continually in their head, always knowing their true feelings and intentions? No one. She knew that. Lyle would be no different, even if she wished he could.

Her chest was suddenly heavy. That was the real issue, wasn't it? That was why she'd been so scared by the idea that he was there for her. She wished that he could prove history wrong…it was stupid of her to put that on him.

"_You're sad! You're sad!"_ Haro chirped at her, bouncing as well as he could in the gravity-rich atmosphere.

She picked him up and watched his white ears flap. "Only a little, it's alright."

"_Smile! Smile!"_ He ordered in his little robotic voice.

That made her laugh under her breath. "You can't order that kind of thing." She pointed out. She couldn't hide the smile that pulled at her lips, though. She was starting to get used to the little ball, even if he was strange and disconcerting. She was strange and disconcerting too, and that somehow made her like the little bot more. They were a good team. "Come on, it's about time we went to see Allelujah, don't you think?"

"_Marie! Marie!"_ Haro agreed. He loved the silver-haired girl.

"Yes, and Marie." she agreed.

She changed direction to head to the infirmary as she tried to push her depressing stream of thoughts out of her head and think about something else. There were a million other things that she should have been thinking about. She'd made some changes to the NILE system, under Haro's supervision of course, which would make it easier to operate it if she had to get suited-up last-minute. She could think about the fact that Allelujah and Hallelujah could communicate again and the various implications of that, or she could think about the fact that her sedatives were starting to become ineffective. She'd woken up an hour early this morning, something that shouldn't have been possible after being sedated as usual. An hour wasn't a huge deal in the scheme of things, but an hour could easily turn into two, then four, then not sleeping at all. That would be bad, she was dangerous when she didn't sleep.

She looked through the glass of the infirmary's lounge as they arrived. Allelujah was awake and was lounging very comfortably in the center of the main sofa. Marie was nowhere to be seen, but Reverie assumed that she'd run to the kitchen now that Allelujah was awake and apparently fine. Feldt, Sumeragi, Lasse, and Tieria stood and sat randomly around the room, along with Shia, who was chattering away about this or that.

There was something strange about the scene inside. No one was near the Meister. Sumeragi shifted nervously as she glanced at him, then back at Shia, then back at the Meister again. Tieria had his face buried in his hand in annoyance, and Lasse was sitting across from the super-soldier, looking at him as though he were staring at a Rottweiler.

_-Am I even strong enough to handle him?-_ Lasse's worried tone flicked through Reverie's mind. Why would he need to 'handle' the gentle Meister? She dug further around the room, but no one was giving up an explanation. Even Allelujah and Hallelujah themselves were too busy bickering to give her anything of use. She shook her head. She'd have to find out on her own.

"_Allelujah! Allelujah!"_ Haro chirped as they entered the lounge. The Meister looked over his shoulder from his position on the couch. He was sitting languidly, watching the others in the room as though they weren't waiting to jump at the slightest sound. There was something very strange going on. Tieria left after huffing about last-minute changes to something or another.

"Well, well, well, look who finally decided to stop in." he said, clicking his tongue. His expression was strange as she stopped just inside the doorframe. "What? Not gonna come introduce yourself, _doll_?" he teased, drawling out the last word.

Doll.

Hallelujah. Reverie resisted the urge to shiver as she realized that she was facing Allelujah's less-altruistic personality. Her eyes flicked to the others in the room who watched her worriedly, then met Hallelujah's mismatched eyes again. The connection made her conscious of the intense predatory crosshairs that she was caught in.

"Hallelujah. It seems we finally get to meet." she said, setting Haro down so he could roll to Feldt.

His eyes didn't leave her as the white ball rolled past him. He smirked. "Don't you wanna come over here and make sure? Allelujah says _touch_ is what works best for you…"

She could hear Allelujah, and he was far from suggesting anything of the sort. In fact, he was begging her to just ignore him. Please, if she could, if she cared for her sanity, she shouldn't provoke him. _That_ was what Allelujah was saying. She sat across from him, a little closer to Lasse than was probably necessary. She looked up at Shia. "I take it this isn't considered a good thing?"

Shia shrugged but didn't offer an answer. _–We've already had one incident, don't test him…-_

"If you say so." she replied, looking around the room. Hallelujah continued to watch her curiously. Was she surprised? Not really. She'd been the only person he could communicate with for the past few months, and the first person he'd spoken to in years. The thought made her shiver.

"He's been doing that all day..." he drawled, examining his fingertips disinterestedly.

"Doing what all day?" she replied. She knew better than to ignore him, it would only make him bored, and a bored Hallelujah was an attention-seeking Hallelujah.

He looked up at her. "Not telling me a fucking thing."

"What do you want to know from him?" she asked, providing distraction as Sumeragi nodded to Shia and left, sending an uncomfortable glance at Reverie. Feldt followed shortly after, taking Haro with her as she slipped out of the door at the other end of the room. They were very clearly scared of the situation, and Lasse wasn't faring much better. Feldt's mind was full of worry over Allelujah, who was trapped under the surface. Sumeragi was a mix of relieved and fearful, and Shia was trying to think of any excuse to get out of the room. Short of Lasse, Reverie was, for all intents and purposes, alone with the frequently homicidal Haptism. Hallelujah also happened to be the one she was angry with, not that she would bring it up if she could avoid it. She doubted that hurt feelings were on Hallelujah's list of top ten interesting things, unless they could be exploited.

"It's not what I want to know from him…it's what I want to know from _you_." His grin said that whatever it was, she wouldn't like. He didn't seem to care that the others were slinking away one-by-one.

She bit back the urge to sigh. "And that is…?"

His eyes danced with mischievous fire when she took his bait, and if she hadn't known better, she would have thought she was staring at an amused panther. He grinned. "How does it feel to sit across from the man who ruined your life?"

_What? _Her blood ran cold. Did he know? Had someone told him that he'd been the one to tear apart the ship she'd been serving on years ago, or was he fishing? It was a statement too specific to be fishing. She took in a slow, silent breath to steady her words before she responded, and pulled together her best clueless look. "I don't know what you mean…" she said, tilting her head.

Hallelujah laughed as though she'd told a joke that only he was privy to. His laugh subsided and he stared at her. "The good doctor didn't think to watch his mouth while my dear Allelujah was being operated on…" he said, intentionally leaving the thought unfinished.

She had to get out of that room. "I don't follow where you're going with this Hallelujah, but I have to go get Haro back." She stood and took long strides to the door before he could say anything else.

She heard his laugh as the door swooshed open and closed and she looked for Feldt. She figured she might as well be honest and go get her Haro. She stepped off towards Feldt's room, but was stopped as she heard a deafening crash from inside the lounge.

_-Dammit! My lip!-_

_-Hallelujah stop it! Go back to the room!-_

She'd barely turned to look back when Hallelujah stepped calmly into the hall, his stride full of confident mischief. She kept walking. Her room was two halls away, she could possibly reach it and seal herself in if she didn't give off any hint of panic.

"That was rude, Reverie." he said, his voice chided her playfully, but was loosely covering his annoyance.

"Well, I'm sorry I offended you, Hallelujah." she said, kicking herself for the undertone of sarcasm that had laced her words. This was _not_ the time to piss him off.

"Ah, always so quick-tongued, aren't you? Well, here's a quick thought…I'm the reason that your pretty little head is all screwed up."

Her jaw clenched. He was harassing her to get a reaction, just because he was bored. If she wasn't still so secretly mad at him she could have shrugged it off, but she was, and she couldn't. She could try to, though. She just had to make it to her door. "Oh, you think I'm pretty?" she quipped. "I'm flattered." Tone be damned, there was a chance that he'd be placated with getting a small, sarcastic rise out of her.

"I think you're a freak." he said, now walking just barely behind her. _Don't snap, don't snap, don't snap._ The steady mantra kept repeating in her head, bubble-wrapped by Allelujah's insistence that Hallelujah was looking for a fight.

"You're one to talk, personality number two." She'd have to apologize to Allelujah for that later. She could see the hall that lead to her room.

"You can insult me all you want, but I've got you figured out. I'll bet that before I fucked you up, you were little miss perfect, right? Perfect job, perfect education, _Daddy's little girl."_

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She had been irritated before, she was mad now. He was trying to get a rise, that was all, she reminded herself. She had to get to her room. If she made it to her room she could place a steel door between herself and the malicious half of her friend.

"Oooh, you didn't like that, did you. What's the matter? What would daddy dearest think of his little princess working for a terrorist organization?"

_-I'm sorry Reverie! He's out of control! Don't listen…-_

It was just a taunt. Just a taunt, just a taunt. She didn't respond.

A strong hand landed on her shoulder and whipped her around to face him, throwing her dangerously off-balance and sending her heart shooting into her throat. She felt pressure against her arm and realized that she'd whipped her handgun from its holster, barely catching his uniform with its tip. Her heart jumped at the realization. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"That's interesting…" He leaned into the weapon and she felt the pressure up her arm as the muzzle embedded in the thick uniform fabric. He leaned toward her, his large frame making it easy to shorten the distance created by her arm. She shivered. He grinned like she'd just confessed to murder.

"What are you gonna do with that, _Reverie…_?"His mismatched eyes flicked to the weapon and laughed with the promise that she wasn't walking away from her predicament. She had no idea what to do. She heard the faint sound of footsteps up the hall and she watched his eyes flick behind her, over her shoulder. "Seems we're not alone." He muttered. "This is getting interesting."

She heard the click of another holster down the hall, and the next few seconds were a blur. In a flash of orange and with a loud yelp she found herself slammed into the wall, the super-soldier's bodyweight crushing her and forcing her to drop the firearm that had kept him at bay. She felt the muzzle of her weapon against her ribs, she didn't dare move, not that she could. His arm lay across her throat with dangerous, threatening pressure, and her feet dangled above the ground. Someone gasped, but she wasn't about to try to see who.

_-Stop it Hallelujah! Let her go or I'll-!_

"You'll do _nothing_, Allelujah, just like always." Hallelujah snapped, then smirked, leaning against her throat so heavily that she felt like it would be crushed. Gun be damned, _she needed air_. "What's the matter, Reverie? Nothing smart to say when _I'm _in control? Allelujah and I are quite strong, aren't we?" He leaned further and she felt like her throat was cracking. She had to get away. "_Shut-up Allelujah!" _he hissed. She was struggling, pulling at his arm and thrashing, trying to get away from the crushing force that was stopping her from breathing. "I'm so sick of this self-important little _bitch_ thinking that she can insult me and get away with it…"

_-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I should have kept control!-_

Black dots started in the corners of her vision and she stopped thrashing, trying to save whatever useable time she had left with her haphazard lungful of air. She could hear sounds, voices, but they were starting to be drowned out by the thumping in her head.

"_Rev!"_

-_What the hell!?-_

"She's a little busy right now, try later." Hallelujah's breath fanned across her face as he laughed. His mismatched eyes smirked at her as she grasped at his uniform, wordlessly begging him to let her go. Her head started to swim, then her vision slowly dimmed to a pinpoint that centered on a golden eye. Then the pressure was gone.

Air.

She hit the ground and clutched her throat as she sucked in as much as she could, coughing and hacking against the life-sustaining element. She was dazed and the world was slowly rotating as she stared at the ceiling, curling in on herself. Her throat burned as she breathed over and over again, in and out. She rolled onto her side to see Hallelujah a few feet away, not quite conscious. A set of twelve little needle marks sat neatly in a circle on the side of his neck. Someone had tranquilized him. She rolled to her knees and sat up, holding her throat and still trying to recover her breath. Her throat was more raw than she'd ever remembered it being. Her Haro rolled to her, chirping about her irresponsibility.

"Reverie, are you alright?" A figure knelt beside her and dropped a tranquilizer gun in front of her. Lavender hair framed an exquisitely pretty face that looked at her in worry. Anew Returner. Reverie took another breath and nodded.

"Yeah, he's fast." she half-croaked, the vibration of her voice hurting her throat. She felt small hands on hers, pulling them away and checking over the sore area.

"It doesn't look like he did major damage…I'll have to do a scan to be sure though. There's definitely going to be some bruising." Anew said, pressing a fingertip against a particularly sore area. Reverie flinched, nodded, and stood, finally looking around the hall. Lasse was sporting a fresh cut on his lip that was probably earned when Hallelujah left the infirmary. Feldt pulled Haro back, warning him that now was not the time to pick on his friend, and Tieria was cursing his terrible luck at Hallelujah's return. Finally, Lyle stood across from her and Anew, watching her and Anew. His eyes flicked from hers to the barely conscious Meister on the floor.

"We're gonna have to cart him back to the infirmary." Lasse said, tapping at the cut.

Lyle nodded his agreement and knelt to tug at Hallelujah. They balanced his weight between them, his head resting on Lyle's shoulder, half-closed eyes to the ceiling.

"I'd better take a look at you right away." Anew said, standing and offering her hand as they left.

"Anew Returner, you can examine her in Sumeragi Lee Noriega's room." Tieria bit out, staring the brunette telepath down.

"_What?_" Reverie choked out.

He sighed and buried his face in a gloved hand. "You should have known better than to pull a gun on him. Go. Sumeragi will deal with you."he said, pulling out his data drive and opening a window to the bridge.

Reverie wanted to argue, but the burning in her throat said that it would be a horrible idea. Sumeragi would probably be more reasonable than him anyways. Anew slipped an arm around her waist and guided her away from the bespectacled Meister while explaining the damage that had most likely occurred. She wasn't really concerned with it though.

She wanted to see what Sumeragi would have to say.

* * *

AN: A note on Alle/Halle that I didn't want to put in the beginning for spoiler-ness: I view Allelujah and Hallelujah as sharing certain desires and differing on others. I know that Hallelujah would insist I'm wrong and that Allelujah secretly wants the things that he does, but I think he's being a bit of a liar and loves to rub that idea in Allelujah's face just for the sadism. "Come on, you _know_ that you really wanted to kill all those super-kids. We want the same things, after-all" (Alle cries, Halle laughs).


	20. Talk to Me

AN: Oh. My. God. If I have to read another page I'll die. Sorry for the long break in updates, I've been six inches away from death by academia for the last three weeks. Paper after paper after paper, and in 20 minutes Im off to my fourth midterm in 6 days. Needless to say, I've been in a stress bubble. On a related note: Update! Everyone! I want something new to read when I manage to take a break :P

Stormy: I miss Setsuna too! He'll be coming back shortly though, thank-god. Ever since you gave me the Criminal Minds quote collection I've been pouring over it in curiosity. They have so many good ones! I may start using that exclusively for the chapter quotes, we'll see. Anne: Thank-you! Writing Hallelujah was interesting, so I'm glad that he didn't seem too OOC. Tieria...is getting harder to write, but I like writing him. I agree with you, if I could shoot every time I needed to blow off steam, my knuckles would be in much less pain frequently (I like to kickbox and box, and my fiance and I spend quite a bit of time doing Krav Maga together...so my feet and hands are pretty battered). Paper: Hahaha yeah, he's the poster boy of the feminist movement for sure :P.

Not too much to say about this chapter other than thank-you to Stormy for reading through it for me! We'll be deviating from the anime's plot for a few chapters, so that'll give some diversity. Let me know what you think!

I listened to a mix of everything and anything for this. I just needed a break and wrote! Let me know what you think!

* * *

**Talk to Me**

_"Delay is the deadliest form of denial."_

C. Northcote Parkinson

"Hallelujah's stuck."

Sumeragi's room had the feeling of an office more than anything. Information reeled over a massive collection of screens on the right side of the room, and there were actual sheets of _paper_ everywhere. Reverie couldn't remember the last time that she'd seen something printed on paper…it may have been Tieria's welcome note when she'd first joined months ago. The left side of the forecaster's room was surprisingly spotless and well-organized, and from what Reverie could see even the alcohol fridge was carefully organized. There wasn't a single personal thing in the room that she could immediately see. Somehow she realized that she was looking at two sides of the same person. Hectic, frustrated, determined tactical forecaster, and obsessive, hopeless, surviving human being. It was interesting, to say the least. They were alone now. Anew had left shortly after she'd finished checking Reverie's throat, and according to Sumeragi, the bruising was starting to show.

"What do you mean, 'stuck'?" Reverie asked, watching as the forecaster poured a generous amount of rum into two glasses. 'Just the thing for your throat', she'd said. Reverie was skeptical.

Sumeragi stood and handed her a glass, sighing and sitting in her office chair. "Well, he can't switch back with Allelujah. Something's stopping him from being submerged."

"Are you sure he's really tried to switch places? This _is_ Hallelujah we're talking about…"

"I know all about Hallelujah, don't worry." Sumeragi said, her voice almost laughed. "Hallelujah likes to show up when there's something to _do_. Kill, torment, fight, tease. If he can't do any of those things he likes to lay dormant and let Allelujah deal with the boredom of everyday life."

"What happens if he gets bored?" Reverie asked, sniffing her glass. It had been a while since she'd had a drink.

"Your neck happens." she replied.

"Ah, right. How could I forget…" Reverie said sarcastically, running a finger carefully over her throat. She took a sip of her drink and her nose twitched. It tasted like depression. It took her right back to the nights she'd spent at the bottom of several bottles as she'd tried to pass out and sleep. She exhaled slowly through her nose. "So, what can we do about it?"

Sumeragi sighed. _"We're_ not going to do anything about it. I'll take care of Hallelujah, you're going to Katharon's temporary European branch."

"What!?_"_ Reverie spat in surprise. She was going to leave Ptolemy when they were at their most vulnerable? They needed to know about ambushes now more than ever, and if they had to fight mobile suits that were at full strength…what then?

_-Don't make this harder than it has to be…- _Sumeragi sighed again. "It's actually not entirely related to Hallelujah, although he'll continue to be a problem." Reverie stayed silent and sipped, watching the forecaster curiously. She had to know this was a bad idea. Sumeragi continued. "Katharon has a mole in their temporary branch. A few days ago they requested your help in finding the culprit and I turned them down. They've asked again, and seeing as you and Hallelujah aren't the best of friends, I told them I'd reconsidered and you'd be arriving shortly."

Reverie wanted to argue her case for staying with Ptolemy, but she stayed quiet. Hallelujah obviously knew he could get a rise out of her now, and as tough as she thought she was, she wasn't any match for the super-soldier. An information leak with Katharon meant that Celestial Being's information was at stake as well, and with their vulnerability at the moment it was better to take precautions. Also, she didn't really want to be with Ptolemy at the moment. She didn't know how to face Anew, and she definitely didn't know how to speak to Lyle with his newfound disappearing game. She didn't know if she _should_ talk to him, given her personal realizations earlier. The thought made her bite her lip. She missed him and she wanted to figure out how they'd become so strange. "When do I leave?"

"Lockon will take you over tonight."

Well, there went her terrible idea of avoiding him. "Tonight?" she asked, trying to not let her jaw drop. "Can Ptolemy really afford to be short a functioning Gundam?"

Sumeragi nodded. "We need to get you out of here as soon as possible with regards to Hallelujah, and if there's a mole in Katharon, you can bet that they'll be making themselves scarce soon. As for Cherudim, Ptolemy will be fine. With a Gundam's speed, you'll reach the Katharon base in just over an hour."

Reverie sighed. "Alright. How long will I be with them?"

"Hopefully just a week. If Hallelujah hasn't been taken care of by then, we'll just have to go ahead and bring you back on board. Ptolemy should be in better form by then and we'll be able to put your abilities to good use. Consider it a break...you'll be at your brother's branch, after-all."

Reverie couldn't deny being happy to hear that. She missed her brother more than she let on, and somehow knowing that she'd be at his branch made the tasking seem more attractive. Of course, it meant that her step-father was likely there as well. "Fine, but I expect to be showered with love and affection upon my return." She said, gesturing with her glass and pretending to bow.

Sumeragi laughed. "Seems like someone's been rubbing off on you..." -W_ith all the time she spends with Lockon, I'm not surprised.-_

"You should see me shoot." Reverie winked, hoping she'd deflected the topic of Lyle. "How are you doing, now that Hallelujah's stuck on board?"

_-So you haven't forgotten then…-_ Sumeragi thought, still smiling, her eyes distracted.

"I'm not very good at forgetting." Reverie replied.

It was Sumeragi's turn to sigh. "It's not what you think, you know." The forecaster watched her curiously.

"That depends. What do I think?" Reverie asked, sipping from her glass again.

Sumeragi ignored her question, as had become her habit. "I care about Hallelujah as much as anyone else on this ship, if not even a little more." She took a sip of her glass and swirled it. "I know that sounds strange." She looked down. "No one cares for him other than Allelujah. They fear him, dread dealing with him, ignore him. No one really stops to think that Hallelujah is the result of the horrible things that Allelujah went through. I mean, they know it, but they don't really _realize_ it. Hallelujah was the one standing between Allelujah and death time and time again, and it's because of him that Allelujah is with us today." She looked up at Reverie, her expression was a jumble of emotions. "That counts for something, right? What if Allelujah had been just another failed subject, sent to an incinerator somewhere, scared and alone and never having a voice? Hallelujah stopped that from happening, and _that_ is why I care so much about him. He may not think himself capable, but I believe, somehow, that Hallelujah cares about Allelujah more than himself. I want to see the day arrive that he realizes it."

Reverie watched her curiously. "Why did the idea of me hearing that scare you so much before?" she asked. It didn't make sense at all. Sumeragi admired Hallelujah. Some people would be put off by the idea most likely, but she somehow understood it. Hallelujah was terrifying and admirable at once. It was best to not let him hear you say it, though.

"I didn't expect you to understand why I care about someone like Hallelujah. To be honest, I'm still worried about that now."

Reverie tilted her head. "Does it really matter if I understand?"

Sumeragi looked at her for a long second. "No, I guess it doesn't really. I just know how strange it must seem."

"You're speaking to someone who hears voices, about someone who has a split personality, on-board a ship belonging to a private, armed organization. To be honest, the only thing not strange here is this." Reverie said, holding up the glass of rum.

That got a laugh out of Sumeragi. "Somehow, I feel like we aren't as worried as we should be about that."

Reverie laughed and shook her head. "We're worried about enough…the whole world, remember? Besides, if we stop and actually examine how badly messed-up we all are, I think we'd sink Celestial Being." She pointed out. There wasn't a single person in the organization that didn't have a major life issue. Even Mileina was strange…she'd spent the entirety of her life as part of a terrorist organization and didn't seem particularly bothered by it.

Sumeragi was silent and stared at her glass. "I don't know how you all do it, really…" she mused, tilting the glass and watching the rum seep over an ice cube. "You all manage to keep going as though the past can't reach you."

"The past reaches everyone more than you'd think." Reverie took a sip of her drink, it burned her raw throat, but she didn't really care.

"You sound like you're thinking about something specific." Sumeragi surmised, watching her curiously.

Reverie shook her head. "No, nothing specific. I've just come to realize that everyone has a story that'll tear you apart…the only thing that separates us all is how we deal with it. When I was younger, a teen, I was stupid enough to believe that I had some kind of dark, angsty history because my father had died. Of course I grew out of it, but as my involvement with the AEU grew I started to realize that everyone around me had joined for similar reasons…they wanted to fight against things that had hurt them. The most ridiculous part was that we were all trying to fight things that no army could. I was constantly fighting the fire that took my father, never satisfied with successful missions and never really healing because in truth, the missions didn't mean a thing to me; they were temporary solutions to the hole left by that fire. I was convinced that I was broken, there was something wrong with me. I felt so guilty…"

"I read your file, there was no way you could have done anything to help him…there was no way it was your fault." Sumeragi said, sipping again.

Reverie nodded. "I realized that when I woke up after Taklamakan and could hear everyone around me. My commander was waging a private war against the cancer that had stolen his son, my colleague was fighting over and over again to kill a man that had hurt her years before. Everyone around me was hurting, and they were fighting not for any real reason other than they'd been hurt. I realized that I didn't have any right to feel so mad at my past. There were people all around me that had made worse mistakes, suffered more, seen worse things. There I was, guilty over something that I had no control of. Even if I would have been responsible, could I live knowing that my father would be mad at me for holding onto guilt? No. I was alive, plain and simple. That was enough reason to let it go." She looked up at Sumeragi, embarrassed at having gone on such a tangent. "I guess long story short, in the past five years, I've never met someone who wasn't hurting, guilty, and scarred. The past is all over the place and you're naïve to believe that you're the only one carrying a heavy burden."

_-Was that directed at me?-_

Sumeragi sipped her drink carefully, then snapped up attentively when she realized that Reverie was watching her. "I…Sorry, I was just thinking."

"I know." Reverie joked, lightening the mood.

Sumeragi laughed under her breath and pulled a file out of the disorganized paperwork on her desk. "Here. I'm sorry it's in paper form, Katharon sends a lot of files this way as they don't necessarily have access to the same technological channels that we do. It's all the information that they have in relation to the mole."

Reverie took the file and nodded. She hadn't been directing her tangent at Sumeragi, but the change in conversation was probably a good idea. She flipped the folder open and looked at the top sheet, her packing list and formal mission briefing. Apparently she'd be leaving in two hours. It wasn't surprising, given that Sumeragi had said 'tonight', and it was already 5pm local time. This meant it was time to get ready. "I guess I should be on my way then." She said, looking up at the forecaster.

"Make sure to finish your drink, that's expensive rum." The redhead warned, and against her better judgement, Reverie complied, her throat screaming in protest as she finished the glass. At least she had two hours before she had to see Lyle…her impending state of light-drunk would come and leave by then.

Reverie stood, handing the glass to Sumeragi and muttered her thanks before stepping out the door and waving her hurried goodbye. She had some things to do on board before she could leave.

_-Come by anytime, Reverie.-_

She smiled. She liked the tactician, though she was never really sure what kind of impression the woman had of her. It made speaking with her oddly free of restraints, while at the same time made it awkward. She was easy to talk to, and, as she'd demonstrated before, she'd give her honest opinion if asked.

As she felt her rum-induced buzz start to show, she grinned. She'd get honesty out of her next conversation if it killed her.

* * *

Tieria groaned in frustration as he poured over Ptolemy's current resources. Their situation was terrible and it was about to get worse. Right now, they had three operational Gundams, but only two useable pilots. Allelujah's other personality was an excellent pilot, but he was completely unpredictable and wasn't likely to take direction well. That took Arios out of the running as part of Ptolemy's defence system for the time being. This meant that they were left with Seravee and Cherudim, two suits that were generally better for defence and long-distance combat. Neither of them was particularly well-equipped for close-combat, though Cherudim was ahead of Seravee by miles in that department. Tieria had considered piloting Arios himself, but the complications created by learning a new system could cause difficulties, even for him. There was a reason each of the Meisters were chosen for their respective Gundams, after-all.

Sumeragi knew this already, and yet she'd still decided to have Cherudim take Reverie to Katharon. That left Ptolemy with one functioning Gundam-pilot mix. It was totally nonsensical. For two and a half hours they would have one Gundam, one sensible pilot, no weapons control system on the ship, no radar capabilities, and no telepath to make up for failing radar. He buried his face in gloved hands and groaned again.

Everything after Memento Mori had been one giant, frustrating mess. The surprise attack when they were low on GN particles, Losing Setsuna, Ptolemy being badly damaged in their descent, and Allelujah's injury. Allelujah's other personality had definitely made matters much, much worse. He couldn't be trusted, for one. He operated on his own fleeting motives, and Tieria had the suspicion that he wouldn't be terribly upset if he destroyed Arios in the pursuit of entertainment. That took him out of the circle of trust in Tieria's eyes. He also couldn't be trusted around the crew, as he'd proven with Lasse and Reverie, and later with Shia Mazarenco, who'd been threatened with a very deftly-placed scalpel.

They needed another Meister. The idea made him laugh cynically under his breath. How had they reached this point? The last time they'd been this poorly equipped had been when the Ptolemaios one had been destroyed, and the battle that had landed them there had significantly more mobile suits. He sighed It was embarrassing.

_Give it time_.

There was his strange Lockon-conscience. He inhaled slowly. The repairs to Ptolemy would be complete in the next three to four days, and they'd only be without Cherudim for two and a half hours. They could manage without Reverie's radar-like abilities if they were diligent, and Allelujah…only time would tell. It was an annoying, unnerving, question-wrought situation, but it would pass. That didn't mean he couldn't be irritated until it did, though.

He looked at the handgun that sat on the desk in front of him.

"_I told you, to blow off steam." _Reverie's explanation rang in his head.

He had a lot of 'steam to blow off', and his reports had been finished for now. He could go to the range for half an hour or so, right? He shook his head. There was always work that he could be doing, and he had a meeting with Sumeragi in just under an hour. Could he finish any of his work in that amount of time? Not really. He could get a head start on it, though.

He stared and the handgun, as though doing so would provide an answer. When it didn't respond, he shrugged and stood, slipping it into its holster.

He definitely had enough metaphorical steam to blow off.

* * *

Ever since he'd found out that he'd be taking Reverie to Katharon, Lyle had been having conversations in his head. The last time they'd really spoken had been the escape from Lagrange Three, and he wasn't sure what to expect from her. The idea of being stuck in a mobile suit with her for an hour had somehow become intimidating. Weeks ago he would have gladly accepted the tasking, it would have been something like a road-trip, not that he'd ever made a point of bringing people with him when he went on one. Now though, after his realization in her room, he didn't know what to do. He knew what he wanted. He wanted to return to how they'd been before…that was allowed, right? He missed their friendship, the range, her. He knew that this impromptu sardine-canning would result in either them working things out, or in Cherudim spontaneously combusting with the pressure of the awkwardness inside. Alright, maybe not quite that bad, but the situation did have the potential to be strange. They'd have to have a fairly serious talk to sort things out, that much was apparent.

"You know, they should make Gundams harder to climb." She said, stepping into the cramped space. She looked around, clearly not entirely sure where she was supposed to go. Her Haro muttered something incoherent, tucked into her arm.

"I'd agree with you, if I hadn't watched you use the ascension cable." He said, smirking. So far so good.

"Saw that, eh? Should have known I couldn't pull a quick one on you."

He held back a suggestive quip about a 'quick one', jokes could wait until they'd had a talk. She still raised an eyebrow and smirked. Apparently his quip had been heard. "You'll have to squeeze in behind the seat." he said, motioning over his shoulder. They could have been more comfortable if she'd sat in his lap, but there was no way he was suggesting it…the conversation would likely be complicated enough. She was dressed in civilian clothes, a fairly tight black t-shirt and a set of jeans that she'd presumably worn when she joined Celestial Being. It was nothing outrageous, though the shirt didn't do much to cover the purple-blue welts on her throat and collarbone, but the casualness was enough to put him more at ease. He eyed the bruises on her neck…even now they made his anger flare. If Anew hadn't stepped in-between he and Alle – no - _Halle_leujah, he would have shot the super-soldier. Reverie slipped into the space behind the seat and held up her beat-up backpack, her Haro rolling away under one of the panels.

"What should I do with this?" She shook her bag and he pointed under the panel that her Haro had taken refuge underneath. Her proximity was giving him that same bout of uneasiness that he'd been experiencing the past couple of days but he tried his best to ignore it, at least until she leaned around the seat and stared him directly in the face. "Why do I make you uneasy…?" So, she was going her usual direct route after-all. It was about damned time. Wait, was that alcohol on her breath? It was hard to pick up over the scent of fresh shower, but he could swear that he'd smelt something alcoholic off her. "It's Sumeragi's fault." She said, replying to his thought. So she was drunk. He wanted to smack the forecaster upside the head. He wanted them to work some things out, and she was drunk. Great. "I'm not drunk, I just had a drink with Sumeragi. If I was drunk, you'd know." She sat back and sighed, then leaned forward again. "How long have I been making you uneasy?"

"Let's get in the air, then we'll talk. We've got an hour to burn, remember?" He teased lightly.

"Alright." Reverie watched curiously as he booted Cherudim up and ran through pre-launch, flicking switches here and there and responding to Haro when he chattered. Before long they were blasting away from the damaged ship and she was leaning over a panel, watching the ground below. She hummed happily, eyes closed for a moment. She must have been listening to Cherudim's drive.

"You haven't felt the uneasiness?" he asked, bringing the topic up again. She must have, there was no way he'd been the only one.

She broke out of her happy trance and nodded. "There's no way I _can't_ feel it. Every time we so much as enter the same room, you take off like I have the plague. It's been forever since we've joked, and about as long since you've been able to look me in the eye. What's been going on, Lyle?"

"You don't already know?" he asked quizzically, raising an eyebrow.

She raised her own. "What do you mean?"

Really? She could hear thoughts and she wondered what he meant? Her expression changed as though something had clicked, and she buried her face in one hand. "Of course…you had no way to know…" she muttered, shaking her head. She looked back up at him. "From the time I shocked myself at Lagrange Three and ended up in solitary to when I entered Trans-Am at the attack on Memento Mori, I couldn't hear anything but white noise."

That was interesting. "Nothing at all?" he asked, eyes flicking to his radar screen.

"Not unless I was in physical contact with someone, and you made very sure that _that_ wasn't a possibility." She replied. "By the time I woke up and could hear everyone again, you were spending all your time outside my range of hearing. I never thought to say anything to you…it didn't seem important." Even if she had thought to tell him, they'd been too busy avoiding each other to have the conversation.

She hadn't heard a single thing. She hadn't heard his anger, his frustration, or his mental tug-of-war when he'd checked on her in her room. Nothing. He sighed. That explained a lot. It explained why she hadn't confronted him about any of it and why she'd seemed out-of-sorts. The whole time that he'd been angry with her she'd been as normal as any other person, not hearing a thing. No wonder they'd both been so confused. "I didn't realize that." He admitted.

"Why are you angry?" she asked, greyish eyes now searching his face more freely. She'd shifted as much as she could to look at him while they talked, while still remaining somewhat comfortable.

"Why didn't you tell me that the A-Laws telepath had my voice, the first time you heard him at the banquet?" he asked. He wasn't one to normally answer a question with another question, but he couldn't think of any other way to sum up his answer.

She watched him curiously and he hoped she was planning on answering him. He didn't want to stay mad and keep the strangeness between them going, but he needed to know why she'd left such an important detail out. The implications of the voice were disturbing, she had to know that much. She shrugged in the cramped space, a gesture that made him lose a bit of hope. "I didn't realize that his voice was the same as yours right away and by the time that I was safe and actually able to think about it, it had been a few hours since I'd been at the banquet. I explained it away, it wasn't hard to do. I knew your voice well, I was full of adrenaline, it had been hours since I'd heard the voice. It wasn't long before I doubted myself completely. By the time I returned to Ptolemy I'd decided that I'd been hearing things. I left it out of my report because I didn't want you being dragged in by Tieria for a scathing round of interrogation, and more than that I didn't want to ignite false hope. By the time I heard his voice again, he'd spoken to you. There was no reason for me to bring it up when you'd heard it first-hand, and then I lost my 'hearing' for a couple of days, and here we are."

It was all a case of horrible communication and bad circumstances. He laughed under his breath, then shook his head. It was so _stupid_.

There was another question nagging at him, one that he wasn't sure he wanted to ask. "What do you think of his voice?" he asked. _His _voice. He didn't know if he was referring to his brother or to the masked telepath. Maybe both. He'd thought about that all-too-familiar voice more than once since he'd heard it. He didn't know if he wanted to come to a conclusion about it.

He wanted to tell himself that the man most likely wasn't his brother. He wanted to rest assured that facts were facts, and that his brother had died four years earlier. Wanting that made him sick. He and his brother may not have been close in the end, but he respected Neil. He was angry with him and was frustrated with his inability to let go, but he loved him. How could he not? They were brothers, _twins_. They were as much a part of each other as anyone could be while still being individuals. He hated that fact, but was that enough to justify his hope that his brother would stay in the past? He'd lost his brother, but in a way that meant that he'd finally gained some small, pathetic piece of freedom. Did that make him a horrible person?

"If he was alive, would you be angry?"

He'd forgotten that she could hear, and the question felt like a kick in the gut. He couldn't hide things from her and that forced him to be brutally honest, not just with her, but with himself. "I don't know." he said, hoping she'd leave it at that.

"Are you sure you don't?"

Somewhere, that needy, honest child that he used to be yelled at him for lying. _'Respect me enough to tell me the truth'_ it chided, using Reverie's words from their coffee-conversation so long ago to chastise him. Fine. He would be angry. No, not angry, _livid_. If this man was his brother, sent to return from the past like some hero reappearing at the end of a movie, he'd be livid. There were finally people who saw him separately. Reverie, Anew, Katharon. Even the members of Celestial Being were starting to recognize him as someone else and weren't constantly comparing anymore. His brother could be alive, that was fine. His brother couldn't be alive like this, a hair away from reappearing and stealing away the bonds that Lyle was finally starting to create. He would be left with nothing, yet again. The other twin. The one who made smiles fade and expectations lower. The one who paled in comparison to his vibrant, well-loved brother. "Is that the answer you were expecting?" he asked coldly, trying to distance himself, to distance her.

She didn't seem to want that at all. She rested her head against his forearm. "No, but it was the truth...that's what matters."

The physical contact was welcome and it lightened his mood, though he tried not to admit it. They were silent for a while before she spoke again. "So, was that the only reason you were avoiding me?" she asked, tilting her head and watching her Haro roll around the cockpit.

He watched the white ball-bot roll. He'd been angry with her because of the voice and it had triggered his pride. He'd been avoiding her because she didn't want to be close to him and because he didn't want to drag himself deeper into whatever it was that he felt for her. "It's the most important one."

She seemed content to leave it at that, picking up her Haro and musing about the differences between hers and his. He knew that they had a lot more to talk about, but he had a lot of thinking to do before then. He'd have a week to himself to think about how he felt. Right now, they had half an hour of quips and teases and their usual oddball conversations to catch up on, and that was perfectly fine with him.


	21. Waiting Game

AN: WOW! So, this is way overdue, but I've been thrown headlong into something I'm calling "Academic P90X". My final in my Honours Stats class is now worth 100% of my final mark due to a TA's error, so I won't really be online much in the next week and a half. I worte this in segments of about 500 words at a time when I had a little bit of breaktime here and there, and I tried to seam it together as well as possible. The next few chapters will take care of some much needed areas like Setsuna (finally!) among other things.

Stormy: I agree! I was thinking about the twin-weirdness a few days ago...I can't imagine what that would be like to deal with. It was funny that you suggested going into Lyle's feelings about Neil. I'd considered doing it but didn't quite know how to go about it, and then after you suggested it it came a lot more naturally. I hope that it ties in well in the chapters to come! Anne: I used to write 1500 word chapters, and then I started holding onto them until I could write more and more. I'm glad that they don't turn out as lengthy and wordy as they feel when writing...that they're decent, etc. I've had quite a few chapters that would be better left at 1500 words though, and I get a little irritated when I write more to keep the length generally the same. I'm jealous of writers who can get their feelings across in 2k words or less. I imagine sword-fighting would definitely be a way to get rid of steam...I'm jealous! Paper: Hahaha yeah, loony is an understatement. I'm glad you picked up on Lyle's idea vs reality...that'll come into play for sure later on, as well as his honesty. Poor Hallelujah indeed. I was upset that he didn't get more screentime in S2, so here he is full-force.

As for the last chapter, I agree that Lyle was quite emo. I thought so when I was writing, but I feel like those are the kinds of things that he would never say out-loud, and if he did, he'd rationalize them away or bury them in sarcasm. Rev doesn't really leave much room for him to do that, and as such we're left with his raw emo-ness. I want to stress that I think that he cares about Neil a lot more than he lets on, though. I don't see him being as ignorant/"whatever" as most people write him.

Thanks again to those who favourited and reviewed, and please let me know what you think!

* * *

**Waiting Game**

_"He that can have patience can have what he will."_

Benjamin Franklin

Deiter tried to swallow the knot in his throat as he sat on the lower cockpit door of his Enact. It was huge and for the last fifteen minutes he thought he was going to choke on it. Karen was on her way to the base…that was bad.

Under normal circumstances he'd be elated that his mischief-creating sister was on her way, but he had a handful of well-worn reasons for the anxious knot in his chest. First, there was the fact that she was there to find out who an anonymous mole was…an anonymous mole that happened to be the stepfather that she'd beat so bad the other mechanics called him 'franken-fuhrer'. Second, there was the fact that he knew who this anonymous mole was. Third was definitely the most terrifying; she could hear him think. A chill ran up his spine. He had no idea how to hide this nugget of information from his sister. He'd never hidden anything from her, ever. Even before she could hear thoughts, he hadn't needed to hide things from her…in fact, he'd normally run to her when he was in trouble and begged her to tell him how to get out of it. She was the master, after-all. Of course, she'd had a tonne of practice getting out of trouble; she rarely thought anything through beforehand and threw herself headlong into the most crazy, self-destructive path she could come up with. School, work, relationships, anything. He wished he could have her advice right now.

He took a swig from his canteen and watched the small crowd that had already started to gather in the hangar. Bruns had hated her, much to Deiter's dismay. Bruns wasn't at the branch any longer, though. The second he'd found out that Klaus had contacted Celestial Being he'd transferred out to the South African location and out of the undoubted warpath of his step-daughter. Deiter kicked his leg idly, running his thumb absentmindedly over his knuckles. They were bruised, one of them had the imprint of his stepfather's teeth. He may not have hated the man like his sister did, but when the enraged older man confronted him he'd been quick to lose his temper. Katharon wasn't an organization that could take betrayal at the moment.

He sighed. He'd come to love Katharon. The people were real, their motives were pure, and their drive was insatiable. He'd never seen anything like the work ethic that the members of Katharon possessed. They were far outmatched in equipment, funding, even basic necessities like food and tools, and yet they'd become a major problem for the Alliance Forces as well as the A-Laws. Everyone was dedicated, and everyone worked together to turn the skeleton organization into something with a living, beating heart. Katharon was something he'd never regret joining, whether they won or not. His eyes followed their one female mechanic as she tied her hair back and pulled her work gloves back on to wrestle with an ankle module of a Tieren. He'd had his eye on her for weeks, watching her weld this-or-that and disappear into the various joints of mobile suits to rewire them. She, like Katharon, was amazing. She'd patched up his Enact more than once, and she'd spent day after day teaching him how to do the same.

She looked up as the sound of resonating thrusters filled the hangar, and he looked up as well. This was it, his sister was here. He couldn't deny the surge of excitement that came with seeing a Gundam up-close again, but it was soured by the realization that he was about to have a massive sibling blow-up. Still, he watched the hangar entrance in eager anticipation. He knew that it was going to be Lyle's Gundam, the sniper model, but that didn't make him appreciate it any less as it appeared. Legs, waist, torso, shoulders, head. It was an amazing suit, and if anyone could use it properly, it was Lyle, or Gene-One, as he was referred to by most of the members who hadn't taken piloting lessons from him. Deiter was definitely jealous, and he shook his head as he slipped his foot into the descent cable and headed for the hangar floor.

"Deiter!" Mirial, the mechanic he'd been watching dashed over. "Isn't it amazing!" There were smudges of oil and dirt on her face, and he nodded.

"It is, but what really amazes me is how you've managed to get so much dirt on yourself." He said, thumbing away a streak of oil from under her eye. She blushed, and he couldn't say he was particularly upset by the response. In reality, he was jumping in happiness in his head.

"Come on! Let's look at it up close!" she said, taking his hand and dragging him to the now much larger gathered crowd. She turned back curiously, eyes wide. "How close do you think they'll let me get? I mean, it's Celestial Being after-all…they probably don't want us getting that close, right?" she said, her words coming out in a jumbled stream accented in her Belgic-French accent. She was nervous and excited, and cuter than he'd ever remembered her being.

"Well, it's my sister and Ly…I mean, Gene-One in there, so they'll probably be alright with _you_ being close, I guess." He said, already picturing the head-lock from Lyle that the request would result in.

She looked up at him with wide, happy eyes. "Really? Will you ask for me, Deuxie?" she asked, using the nickname that she'd given him a few weeks ago. He didn't particularly like it, but she could have called him 'asshole' and he wouldn't have complained. Deuxie came from Deux, or two, in French. It was a play on his codename of Gene Two. It reminded him that he sat in second place to the man who sat in the deep green mobile-suit in front of him. Did Lyle sit in second-place to anyone? He doubted it. The man was a piloting god in Katharon…so much so that Celestial Being had come to _him_ to pilot. That was proof enough of his skill, Deiter reasoned.

"Yes, I'll ask them." He said, ruffling her hair. Her ponytail hadn't done much to tie back her jet-black locks, and they were already falling out around her face. "But you'll have to make sure to get my Enact running in perfect order, alright?" he didn't give a damn about the Enact, to be honest.

"Deal!" she said, turning to watch the Gundam come to a halt. He watched with her. It was an amazing machine. The Enact had been a well-received machine in the AEU, but the Gundam before them was definitely one-of-a-kind. The cockpit slid open and his sister emerged, followed by the towering Irishman that the suit belonged to. 'Towering' was a funny word, of course. Deiter was an inch taller than the brunette Celestial Being pilot, but that didn't stop him from overshadowing the smaller form of his sister. "That's your sister?" Mirial asked, looking up at him. "Is she a pilot too?"

He shook his head. "That's my sister, but no, she doesn't pilot. I'm sure she could…the AEU made sure to train its forecasters in mobile suit skills just in-case, but she wouldn't be a Gundam pilot." He said, looking back at the duo on the cockpit door. He raised a skeptical eyebrow as he saw them share the dismount cable of the massive machine. Lyle's arm was wrapped securely around Karen's waist, pulling her much closer than was necessary, and her arms were securely around his neck. He wasn't sure, but if he wasn't mistaken they were stuck in a deadlock of eye contact. That was definitely not necessary for a mobile suit dismount. He huffed. His sister had spent many years tormenting their mother with her love of casual relationships; men who had no name and whom she had no reason to bring home. 'There's no time for love in my line of work, Mom.' she'd said. He'd be sorely upset with her if Lyle Dylandy had become one of those. He didn't need his mentor in some sordid relationship with his sister. That would be a new type of torture all its own…a torture added to the beating that he was going to receive when his sister read his thoughts.

"Are you alright?" Mirial asked, watching him with beautiful deep-brown eyes.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." he replied. Really though, he was reeling with the suddenly-remembered worry that his sister could read his mind.

"Her name is Reverie, right?" Mirial asked, tilting her head. "I heard about her from one of the other Mechanics."

He shook his. "That's her codename, but her real name is Karen." He replied. He felt a little guilty for giving up her real name, but he was going to call her by it, so why not? He looked back over at the Celesital Being pair. They'd reached the ground, and Klaus had stepped forward to greet Lyle with a hug and a firm handshake. Though Deiter was nervous he took Mirial's hand and pushed through the crowd, excited to see his sister. "Karen!"

She turned and her face lit up. "Didi!" she exclaimed, running into him with a crushing hug. He'd seen her months before, but he still couldn't register the fact that she was now the shorter sibling, her face buried in his chest. She beamed up at him. "I'm glad you're here, I need someone to pick on!" she said, ruffling his hair and sticking her tongue out. Sometimes she made a terrible twenty-five year-old.

"I can't say I'm too happy about the idea…" he teased, the nerves in his stomach taking over again. She pulled away as Lyle's hand landed on her shoulder and he offered her the beat-up backpack that had been slung over his.

"Don't forget this, I'd hate to have to make a return trip." The Katharon-Meister said.

Deiter watched his smirk with skeptical eyes. "Would you now?" he stared him down with what he hoped was the menacing glare of a protective brother. The Irishman didn't seem fazed.

"Fine. That isn't completely honest, but Tieri-….my friend back on the ship wouldn't be too pleased." The comment earned him a snorted laugh from Karen, and Deiter couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Karen tugged on his shirt.

"Didi, behave." she said before turning to face his former mentor. "Are you leaving right away?"

Lyle nodded. "It looks that way." They stared at each other for a silent moment, and Deiter concluded that his sister was listening intently to some unspoken thought. His suspicion was confirmed when she nodded and slung an arm around his shoulders, grinning at the Meister.

"Don't worry, I've never wanted to kill him before, I don't think I'll start now." She said, looking at Deiter and ruffling his hair.

"Hey, hey! I hate when you do that!" he quipped.

"I know, I know. You'll be fine." She stuck her tongue out at him again, and the action earned her a swift eye-roll.

"Well, I should be heading back." Lyle said, running a hand through his hair. "You'll be alright?" he asked, looking at Karen again. If Deiter wasn't so skeptical, he'd have almost said the pilot was worried.

Karen nodded. "Even if something happens, I can contact the ship through Haro. I'll be fine. Looks like I have to get going too." she motioned over her shoulder to Klaus and some of the senior members of Katharon's administration.

He nodded and they shared another moment of silence that resulted in a snort from Karen. Deiter silently wished that he could hear the unspoken conversation.

"What's 'Haro'?" Mirial's singsong voice questioned, reminding him of her request.

"Oh!" Deiter said, catching his mentor's attention. "Lyle, this is Mirial. She's one of Katharon's newer mechanics…is there any way she can see the Gundam up close?" he knew what the answer would most likely be, but it wouldn't stop him from trying.

"Well…I'm not sure that's-!"

Deiter cut him off, slinging an arm over his shoulders and turning away from the two women who watched them curiously. "Listen, I'm calling in a protégé favor. You let her see the Gundam and I might be able to ignore the fact that you're after my sister." He sent the man an incredulous smirk.

Lyle laughed. "Is that so?"

Deiter nodded. "Come on, if her little bro will vouch for you, you're pretty well in the clear I'd say. Just my humble opinion, though…"

"Got a thing for the little mechanic do ya?" Lyle grinned.

"What, us young folks can't chase each other around? So, deal or no deal?" he asked, silently crossing his fingers in his head.

Lyle sighed, then pulled him into an almost brotherly headlock. "Yeah, fine you little brat." he said ruffling his hair and letting him go. "No pictures, no notes, and I'll explain the mobile suit."

"Deal! Come on Mirial!" He may have disliked the pilot's interest in his sister, but he wasn't about to pass up the chance to watch Mirial examine the Gundam. He turned back to see if Karen would be coming with them, but Shirin and Klaus were approaching, and he guessed that she'd be receiving her briefing. He couldn't say that he was upset to avoid the impending fight that they were going to have over his knowledge of the mole, and he'd gladly welcome the short distraction before it. They had a whole week to snap at each other, right now he was content to be teased by the older man and clung to excitedly by the young mechanic.

* * *

"What can you tell me, Mr. Muller?"

Bruns Muller sat across from the Officer Commanding of the European branch of the A-Laws. He was a short middle-aged man, but the way he held himself said that he had unshakable confidence and a considerable amount of power. Bruns wasn't sure how to regard him, and as such he studied the surface of the man's desk. "I have some very interesting news about Katharon's temporary European base." He said, looking up and meeting the man's gaze.

"Yes, we've established that. What 'interesting news' is it?"

Bruns knew that the A-Laws had been looking for the new branch for weeks. Not only was it close to home for the A-Laws European branch, but it was a safe-house for numerous political figures and valuable prison escapees. "Well, in addition to the political fugitives that the base is harbouring, it's also the current residence of Katharon's new official leader, your missing mobile suit engineer, and currently the telepath from Celestial Being." He said, trying not to smirk. The second he'd found out that Celestial Being was sending Karen to find 'the mole', he'd called his A-Laws handler and bartered his information for instatement in the organization.

The man didn't reply right away, but stared at Bruns with impassivity. "What political fugitives are you referring to?" The man wasn't giving any hint of surprise.

"The former vice-president of the defence council, the chancellor of foreign affairs that defected last month, and of course a slew of less-prominent ones, such as Princess Marina of Azadistan." Bruns recited. The A-Laws hadn't made any attempt to hide how prominent the men were, they'd issued a bounty on each of them as soon as they'd defected. The princess and his stepdaughter…he assumed they'd sweeten the deal.

"And the telepath…how long will she be at the location?" The commander jotted down the list of individuals, and Bruns noted that he was writing on paper. Paper meant that it was unofficial, and unofficial meant a lot of death that the A-Laws couldn't admit to administering. He felt a twinge of guilt over the massacre that could arise from his betrayal, but he pushed it down. He'd become a master of ignoring his conscious, part of him wondered if he still had one at times.

"She's arriving today, I don't know when she leaves."

"When can you find out?" The commander's response was quick. It was clear that the meeting was one of courtesy. If Bruns hadn't been willfully supplying the information it was likely that he'd be in a dark hole somewhere having it beaten out of him.

"I don't know. I'm not in contact with that branch of the organization anymore."

The commander sighed. "Get back in contact with them."

Bruns raised a scarred eyebrow. "Why should I do that?" he knew that he was in a strong position to bargain and he wasn't about to give in so easily.

"Mr. Muller, I'm not a man of weak interpretations. The information that you're giving us will be your salvation." The man stared across the expansive desk. "If you have no information for us, I have no reason to keep you as an informant."

"_Gottverdammt!"_ Bruns slammed his fist against the desk. "How much information do you people want? I've given you locations, security information, names, times-!"

"You _haven't_ given us times, Mr. Muller. Time is a crucial factor in bringing in these fugitives. Time is possibly the most important factor of all! What if we attack and the fugitives we're after aren't there anymore? What if we-!"

"Does it matter? You're using automatons anyways!" Bruns shouted, cutting the man off. He didn't like being snapped at by anyone.

"You _idiot!_ We aren't using automatons! Do you think we'd risk setting those things on those people? We need them _alive_. I have to send a live attack team into the location to make sure we get what we're after! Can you imagine what would happen if we got the timing wrong and, say, attacked when Celestial Being was picking up their telepath? We'd be _obliterated_!"

"Aren't your men well-trained enough to deal with some Celestial Being _brats_?" Bruns snapped, angered at the man's logic.

The commander laughed, then set his face in his hands. He looked up after a moment, the expression on his face mocking the Katharon-traitor again. "Our entire mobile suit force has been having trouble with them. You think a lone special-attack team would be able to take them down? Good luck. What if one of their pilots managed to make it to their Gundam? What if they arrived with all four of the machines? We'd be outgunned, outmatched, and the fugitives would likely be killed in the resulting fallout. It'll be enough trouble to try and work around their telepath, let alone the rest of _that ship's_ team."

"You're going to try to capture her?" Bruns asked, not thrilled by the idea. He wasn't thrilled by any of it really. He was hoping the entire base would be part of a mopping-up operation, mowed down by automated killing machines and swept under the rug.

"Of course we are. We're going to capture all of them, Mr. Muller." He sat back in his seat. "Now go get me useful information on timings, _then_ we can talk about your new position in the A-Laws."

* * *

Marie watched as Alle- no, _Halle_lujah paced back and forth in the padded cell that he'd been abolished to.

He paced like a caged animal, eyes fixated on the two-way glass of the tiny, circular observation window. His golden eye glared with all the accusing force of a hurricane, his quantum brainwaves crashing against her consciousness with the same force. She knew he couldn't see her, but it didn't give her any measure of comfort.

She watched his pacing again. He was one-hundred percent different, not at all her calm, caring Allelujah. He walked with assertive, angry steps. His limbs hung comfortably, but with enough tension to warn that he was ready to take on anyone foolish enough to step in the enclosed space. No matter how many times he circled the room his eyes, rather, his _eye_ didn't leave the door. Since he'd resurfaced Hallelujah had made sure to pull his bangs back over Allelujah's familiar silver eye, almost as a reminder that the gentle-natured Meister was buried under the surface and out of reach. He didn't have to go to the extra length to remind them, though. It was blatantly obvious that he was different. Allelujah was trustworthy and rational, not this bloodthirsty thing that was pacing and waiting for a chance to strike again. Allelujah never would have landed himself in solitary for giving the ship's medic a cursive 'H' scar.

How long could he be stuck like this? If Hallelujah had been left silent for the better part of five years, how long could Allelujah be stuck unheard? The thought made her stomach turn uncomfortably. Allelujah wasn't a fighter in the same way Hallelujah was. He wouldn't take pleasure in pushing Hallelujah below the surface and fighting him for dominance. Marie had a suspicion that Hallelujah wouldn't sit by and let himself be locked away again, even if he was bored at the moment. She shook her head and her stomach churned again, just as it had been doing all morning.

She placed her hand on the cool glass, stretching on her tiptoes to look through it. He'd stopped pacing and was looking at the ceiling. His back was to her and he ran a hand through his dark hair languidly, shaking his head. His shoulders shook and she realized that he must be laughing. What could possibly be funny about the situation? Was he speaking with Allelujah? The thought made her heart flutter. Hallelujah could hear him, they knew that much. She knew better than anyone that Allelujah was floating barely under the surface. His quantum brainwaves mixed with Hallelujahs, complementing them, the undercurrent to the other's storm. She knew her Allelujah was still there. She could see it in the way that his shoulders stopped shaking and in how he relaxed and his body lost its defensiveness, just for a second. When he turned and looked at her she could have almost sworn that he wore the calm, sweet expression of her Allelujah. It was even present as he rushed the glass and snarled silently.

She didn't move a muscle. She met Hallelujah's glare through the glass. He knew she was there, even if he couldn't see her. He could feel her brainwaves just as she could feel his. She stared into his golden, furious eye.

He wasn't her Allelujah, but he was a part of him. She would have to learn to understand him just as Allelujah had learned to work with Soma. Hallelujah was a completely different entity from Allelujah, but as she stared into his calculating, piercing golden eye, a tiny part of her realized that maybe, somehow, she could come to love him just as much.

She pressed the tiny red intercom button.

"I love you, Allelujah."

She stayed long enough to watch Hallelujah's confusion, then she darted down the halls.

She would wait as long as she needed to for Allelujah to return, but until then, she would watch his other half diligently, through unclouded eyes.


	22. Bargaining Blame

AN: It feels like its been forever since I last posted a chapter, and I'm really glad I got this one done. It's a bit of filler, just as the next one will be, but there are important pieces here and there. I've decided to try a new way of separating my chapters (-00-) as ff keeps erasing my line breaks. Let me know how that works out, and if it's a pain I'll try to go back to the breaks. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up as I've got a tonne of travelling to do in the next two weeks! I may come up with a new mini-story too.

Regarding the last chapter there isn't too much to say other than I'm doing some background building. Also, if you notice that there are seemingly random reviews, it's because I've been playing 'Review Tag' in The Reviews Lounge, Too (as recommended by Stormy!). RT helped me get through studying as I would use it for study breaks, and it introduced me to a bunch of very well-written stories from different fandoms.

Here goes, and let me know what you think! I've been listening to a combination of depressing music as I'm getting ready for the action to come.

* * *

**Bargaining Blame**

Katharon's cafeteria was surprisingly well-equipped for being run by a poorly funded terror cell. There was a commendable amount of fresh fruit, meat, and dairy, all of which were provided by local farmers who supported the initiatives of the group. The fruit wasn't farmed in the area, of course, but when transporting it a few crates always seemed to disappear from the market trucks. The farmers would say it was normal; animals were crafty.

Reverie tried to stay out of the way as kitchen help ran this-way and that, trying to get a meal together for a returning mobile suit team. After a long talk with Klaus Graad, who was apparently quite high up in Katharon's hierarchy, it had been decided that she would work in the Kitchen meal line. She was skilled enough to work on mobile suits, knew enough languages to translate for some of the less linguistically gifted, and a decent enough shot to work defence, but they'd both agreed that the meal line was the best area for her to be. It gave her access to the entirety of Katharon's force in the European branch. She could hear everyone and she could make physical contact with them if she needed more information. Most of all though, she knew that Klaus was scared to have her work a position that would place her in any kind of danger as he didn't want to answer to Celestial Being. She was alright with that.

Her job here wasn't to pick up a weapon, it was to find a mole. That wasn't to say that she didn't have a weapon on her, of course. Deiter had slipped her a very well-adjusted older model Beretta shortly after Lyle had left. The handgun was hidden snugly under the ballistic vest that she'd been handed at her meeting with Klaus and the others. It hung a size too large, but she didn't mind. It let her hide her weapon and an assortment of important things, like Haro's backup and her communication drive for Ptolemy. The safety that it would provide in case of an attack was questionable, but the two holes in the back of it let her know that it had done its job well before, both times for someone of notable importance.

The temporary European branch was notable for many of its small amazements, such as hiding a twenty machine mobile-suit hangar underground, but its most interesting feature was its collection of important refugees. She could name several political figures that she'd seen here and there, hidden amongst mechanics and service workers. Although she recognized numerous faces there was one that she was glad to see, Marina Ismail's. Although the princess had only spent a short amount of time on Ptolemy, Reverie had become fond of her. She was kind and caring, and although she didn't agree with the ways of Celestial Being, she was willing to help them in any way that fit her personal beliefs. She toed a delicate line between her beliefs and respecting the beliefs of others. It was something Reverie – no – _Karen_ admired.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Haro chided, unimpressed with her spacing-out. He'd been following her around through her daily chores. If anyone asked, she told them he was a gift from a friend, a pet robot. He seemed to like the title.

She lifted a set of steam-trays into place and watched the group of mostly men file in. From the tone of their thoughts and the high-fives going around, it was obvious that they considered their mission a success, whatever it had been. She scraped out a large pot of mashed potatoes into one of the trays and listened into their mental mutterings. No one was really thinking anything of interest. The trays were filled shortly, several different people running over with this and that and dumping the contents in haphazardly.

For a group of beaten-down looking pilots, they had wonderful manners and let her finish organizing the meal line before they picked up their plates and started moving through. She'd never really seen anything like it before. In Celestial Being they were polite, but Ptolemy had an atmosphere that reminded them that they were being privately funded with millions of dollars. Here, they were reminded that they were an underground organization branded as rebels. Still, they picked up their plates and thanked the soldiers behind the stations.

"You look surprised."

Reverie looked up at the grinning face of one of the older pilots. He wasn't old by civilian standards, but seeing a pilot who looked older than twenty-five was odd in organizations like this. "You're well mannered, that's all." She said, pointing at various things in the trays to load onto his plate.

He laughed. "I don't know where you were before here, but we run a little differently." He replied. _–Seems the whole world runs differently these days…-_

He let a few people past him and she decided she might as well keep talking if he wasn't holding up the line. "How so?"

"We all fight here, and we all pull our shifts behind the line. There's no sense in being a brat now, is there?"

"It's fun to be a brat every once in a while though, isn't it?" she questioned.

He laughed. "Every once in a while, sure. Not when the lady across from you is servin' your food, though." He winked.

She couldn't help but smile. "You might have a point there."

Her attention faded away as a new thought reached her. More accurately it wasn't a thought, but an incredibly clear, confusing picture. It was cast in red, everything except for a set of purple eyes and filaments of green hair that sat atop a porcelain face. The rest was red. A man with red hair, a red mobile suit, red spilling over fabric and a deep red sunset. Her tongs fell to the floor with a clatter and she looked up in time to see a flash of blonde hair burst through the doors of the cafeteria.

"_Karen! Get over here!"_

Deiter's voice had a commanding undertone that she'd never come across before. "What?" She questioned. She was shocked to see Deiter, he'd spent the better part of the last two days hiding from her and taking his Enact out on every drill and security rotation that he could find. Even when he slept he was strangely guarded and his thoughts came in disjointed bundles. She wasn't sure what to make of the situation, but the images flashing urgently in her head didn't let her focus on it.

"Get over here, we've found someone, a pilot!" he said. _–A Celestial Being Pilot.-_

What? She picked Haro up and darted towards the doors, trying to keep her balance as her eyes were hijacked by another series of images. Earth from space, the red-headed man again, and glowing, golden eyes. The images weren't accompanied by any kind of worded thoughts and she realized that she knew exactly who this was.

They slowed to a halt in the mobile suit hangar in time to see a blue-clad form collapse against Marina.

"_Setsuna!"_

* * *

"I understand that you have a licence, Captain Gallagher, but it's strongly recommended that you attach yourself to this mission." The colonel pushed an outdated manila envelope across his desk again. Gallagher wasn't sure what to make of the paper, but it seemed that he was being used for more and more nefarious missions that couldn't be entered into a computer for reasons unknown. It was annoying. He hated paper; reading off it did nothing but antagonize his right eye and leave him with a groaning headache. Still, he watched the Colonel with irritated curiosity. To the colonel's gaze he was relaxing passively in his chair, feet up on the man's desk. It wasn't a position he'd normally take, but it was a sign of assertion and disrespect at once, and the Colonel had yet to point it out. He wondered how long it would be before the man begged him to pick up the envelope.

"No matter how it's recommended, I'm not interested." He said simply.

The man leaned forward and pressed his face into his hands. _–What kind of Captains are they training these days?-_ After a few moments, he looked up. "What could we do to _make_ it interesting for you, Captain?"

Here it was, negotiation. "It isn't the content that doesn't interest me, Colonel, it's the _medium_."

"What do you mean?"

He suppressed his inward grin. "I don't see the fun in stalking around a Katharon base, equipped with little more than a pistol and tranquilizers, and with no promise of a fight of any kind."

"We need your long-range firing capabilities!" The Colonel's voice was heated; Gallagher was getting under his skin. "We need someone who can pick between the fleeing terrorists and tranquilize the high-profile targets."

That made it even _less_ appealing. There wasn't any prospect for an interesting mission if he would be sitting hundreds of meters away and watching through a scope. "Get one of the snipers to do it. You do have _snipers_, don't you? I'd think you have better uses for someone with my abilities." and there was a sniper in Celestial being that he'd much rather be toying with.

"Captain, I don't have the time or inclination to continue arguing with you." _–If he's going to be a brat, he shouldn't have a say.-_

Brat.

Anger flared behind his mask but he stayed silent, unmoving. "I suggest you rearrange your schedule." He said calmly. If the man could see his eyes, he'd suddenly find his schedule very empty.

"Take the envelope, I'm assigning you to the mission." Instead of clearing his appointments, he tossed the envelope across the desk at the masked captain.

Enough.

He caught it harshly and was on his feet in an instant, the Colonel's hand twisting painfully in his grip. The man's body hugged the desk, his straining evident in his breaths. The thumb held in Gallagher's hand was a painful millimetre from being very out of place, and the man's arm wouldn't fare much better if the Captain applied any pressure. _"_Gallagher, you'll be wr-itten up for th-this" he choked out.

He laughed. "I don't think so. You seem to misunderstand the word _license_, Colonel. You see, I get to do what I want, and pushing me to do something else is pointless. Do you know why I have that power, Colonel?" he asked, leaning slowly on the man's arm. The whine it elicited made him almost giddy. The man barely shook his head. "Fear." He replied. "Not only because I can hear what's in your useless, empty heads, but because I like to use it to my advantage. If you didn't fear me before you certainly do now, and if you fear me, oh great Colonel, imagine how the people who gave me this ability fear me."

"You're deranged." The man choked out quietly.

Gallagher smiled. "That may be, but that won't stop me from dropping _this_.." he held up the envelope with his free hand. "…back on your desk."

True to his word, within a moment the envelope had landed back on the Colonel's desk and Gallagher slipped out the door, leaving the Colonel to nurse his sore arm.

He had no interested in the mission at all. He didn't care about Katharon in the slightest. If anything, the anti-government organization was making the A-Laws lives interesting with their shaded trickery and random attacks. He didn't want to intrude on their fun. Celestial Being though, _that_ was fun that he wanted a piece of. State-of-the-art mobile suits, a world-class tactical forecaster, and the most proficient pilots in the world…_that_ type of challenge suited him much better. Gallagher wanted to pick a fight with the whole world, after-all.

He made his way out of the building and across a shaded pavilion to the officers' quarters where he'd been assigned a temporary room. The view from his window was notably beautiful and he found it ironic that they would give the best view to a man who was occasionally blind in one eye. Regardless, when he could see it was one of the few things that he appreciated about the world. Humans could destroy everything in the world except for a sunset; and the sun would still set even after man had destroyed himself.

His eye, just like his other injuries, had apparently been sustained when he took down the Gundam and lost his memories. He didn't believe that, just like everything else about his so-called past. There may have been a time shortly after he awoke that he believed what he was told, but that time had come and gone. Regene Regetta was doing nothing to help the situation. Rather than make him believe the lies that had been crammed into his skull, the man had been giving him breadcrumbs; little bits of information meant to lead him through a dark forest of half-truths to the real story of himself. The puzzle was intriguing, but the permanent ache in his head dulled his treasure-hunt's satisfaction. He was getting sick of Regene's games and he wanted the truth now.

His need for truth was why he sat at his computer for another night, his mask resting carefully on the desk. He'd spent night after night reading news reports of the KPSA's Ireland bombing and digging up anything he could find on the Celestial Being pilot. He used the throbbing pain in his head like a metal detector, finding bits of golden information to lead him to new things. It had taken him to a number of different pages which he'd saved and poured through in great detail. Owen Dylandy, the pilot's father, had worked in shipping in Dublin but had never made a name for himself. Lyndsay, the mother, sold her own crafts online through a webpage that had now been out-dated for over a decade. The crafting web-page had lead him to a family site that showed pictures of a smiling family of five and detailed their various excursions and fun. Gallagher had never thought that he'd pour over one with remarkable interest, yet here he was.

The throbbing in his head always reached a sharp peak when he scrolled down this particular page to the picture of the five of them. Owen, Lyndsay, Amy, young Lyle. If the boy on the left hadn't been identified by the web-page as Lyle, Gallagher wouldn't have known which boy was the pilot. The source of his pain was the other grinning face; Lyle's twin brother. There was no name for the boy, unlike his identical counterpart. It was like it had been swept clean, the name removed from any mention on the family page.

How was this boy connected to Gallagher? Why did the smiling face make his head throb so painfully? If he could see Lyle Dylandy's face, maybe he'd recognize it and his memories – his _real_ – memories, would return. That was why he'd turned down the Katharon mission. He wanted to fight with Celestial being at the attack scheduled for two days' time. He needed to fight the sniper, and he needed to see his face. Someone else could deal with tranquilizing the vice-foreign minister. He needed to fight Lyle Dylandy, because despite his search for fun and intrigue, what Gallagher really wanted were answers.

* * *

Setsuna was suspended.

He couldn't remember ever feeling so weightless in his life, free of feeling, thought, even free of the pain that should have been throbbing from his gunshot wound. For the first time he wasn't worried about his Gundam. He knew Double-Oh was fine, he'd collapsed in Marina Ismail's arms…nothing bad could happen to it if she was there. That was a strange thought. How could a machine such as a Gundam be safe around someone who saw no need for it? Double-Oh would be safe because Marina knew how important it was to him, and she was a respectful person. She wouldn't let her own beliefs about Celestial Being interfere in others' lives, just as any of her other beliefs. Double-Oh was safe, and so was he.

Making it to Katharon was a decision that had left him unsettled, but it was marginally more acceptable than passing out and dying in Double-Oh and possibly losing the suit forever at the bottom of the ocean. Even if the sea didn't claim the Gundam, the enemy would, and Setsuna would risk Katharon stealing it over the A-Laws gaining the technology. When he'd laid eyes on Marina, though, he knew that it had been a wise decision. Even as he stood in the dismount cable of the Gundam he'd felt weak and heavy, and his legs hadn't wanted to move. It was blood loss that had made him give into the encroaching fatigue. It wasn't the first time that he'd been injured like this, and not the first time at the hands of that man, Ali Al-Saachez, but it was the first time that he'd felt safe as he blacked out.

Al-Saachez. Setsuna didn't know why his thoughts landed on the man, but his thoughts were floating just as he was. That man was the personification of war. He was without nationality, allegiance, or morality. If Setsuna strived to be what a Gundam was, then Al-Saachez could only be its opposite. If a Gundam blanketed itself in truth, Al-Saachez blanketed himself in destruction. That destruction is what drove others to blame.

Setsuna had blamed him for many things over the years, until he realized that blame had no place in a changing world. To remove himself from Al-Saachez' grasp he had to release the blame that tied him to the man. Lockon Stratos hadn't done that, and Lockon Stratos had died. Lockon blamed Al-Saachez for the murder of his family, several on Ptolemy blamed Al-Saachez for Lockon's death. Even princess Marina couldn't escape the blame that she laid on the man for his single-handed razing of her country. The circle of blame was something that was twisted also. Nothing good could come of blame, that was Lockon Stratos' final message. Setsuna would find out why, and he would pass that knowledge onto others.

For now, he had to wait to wake up.

* * *

Tieria's daily to-do list was systematic, obsessive even. Wake, eat, run reports, run service on Seravee, run training scenarios in Seravee, make sure that the bridge is running smoothly, and try and extract any useful leftovers from their VEDA backup. Sometimes he added new things like visits to the range or a brush-up on his hand-to-hand combat. Today there was something very different on his list, though.

"Allelujah."

Today he had to try and bargain with his attack partner's other personality; one that had notable disdain for anyone who didn't enjoy finger-painting in blood. He hit the two-way communication button that allowed the other Meister to reply.

"Allelujah isn't here, but if you wanna come make sure I won't complain…" The tone confirmed that the pacing person on the other side of the glass definitely wasn't Allelujah.

Tieria sighed and hit the comms button again. "That won't be necessary. I'm here to bargain with you."

Not-Allelujah gave him a sideways glare through the one-way glass. "When exactly did you start bargaining, Tieria?" Of course Allelujah's other personality would know his name. After all their years of training together it would have been shocking for him not to. "Did that _bitch_ Sumeragi put you up to this?"

He wished he could blame Sumeragi for the uncharacteristic negotiating but this was his own idea. Ptolemy was at a severe disadvantage at the moment. They had two functioning Gundams; two that were equipped for long-range attacks. Five years ago that would have been sufficient to defend themselves. Now, though, they would be severely outmatched if the A-Laws attacked. It wasn't even a question of 'if', but a question of 'when'. When the A-Laws attacked, they'd need Arios in the air regardless of the pilot. "No, she'd rather have you sit locked in that room than interfere with her tactical plan." It was a lie, but one that would hopefully work to his advantage.

Hallelujah looked away and sneered, then turned his attention back to the window. "And what do you want, _Tieria Erde_?"

Somehow Hallelujah managed to make the name sound like an insult. Tieria was unphased. "I want Ptolemy protected to its best ability, and that requires Arios. As our fastest-!"

"I know about the suit, what do you _want_, Tieria?"

Being cut off made him want to snap at the man, but he cleared his throat and continued. "As our fastest mobile suit, Arios is critical to any attack plan for Ptolemy's defence."

"Why would I care if Ptolemy is defended?" Hallelujah asked, head tilted.

"You're not an idiot, Hallelujah." Tieria replied, tone clipped. "If Ptolemy is destroyed, you die with it. We need you to pilot Arios in the event of an attack."

Hallelujah laughed, then stopped and stared straight through the divider. "Pilot it yourself."

Tieria shook his head and ran a hand over his face, something he'd picked up years ago from Lockon…it was a human sign of disbelief and frustration. "You know as well as I do that you're the only one on-board with enough physical resistance to gravitational pull to pilot it. It's too fast for anyone else to pilot without passing out." He relayed, just in case Allelujah's other half wasn't gifted with the same intelligence as his gentle half.

"I'm not the only one." Hallelujah said matter-of-factly. "What about Soma Peires, or does she get away scott-free?"

"We aren't discussing Soma Peires right now." He replied harshly. Allelujah would never allow it and Tieria wouldn't be badgered into the discussion.

Hallelujah didn't seem to appreciate the response and raised an unimpressed brow, then sighed. "What's in it for me if I decide to play lackey?"

Finally something Tieria could work with. "You'd get out of this room for the duration of the attack."

"And then right back in here like a caged dog, right?"

"We could negotiate for extra time out, but you'd have to agree to a list of security demands." He said matter-of-factly. He'd been sorely upset when Sumeragi had decided against the implementation of a shock-collar.

The super-soldier tilted his head and was silent for a few moments before he stared back through the glass. "I don't give a damn about your matchbox ship or your under-gunned defences. Get me out of here permanently and then we'll talk. _Cut communication._"

Tieria bristled, then breathed out slowly through his nose. He was silently cursing the tech that thought it was a good idea to have voice-activated communication cut-offs inside the padded room. Did people in padded rooms really deserve to control conversations?

He shook his head and left the hall, his hands balled tightly into fists. He hadn't expected Hallelujah to agree at the first try, but it didn't make the snippy Meister's attitude any easier to deal with. He'd have to wait and try again, but he couldn't shake the reality that his timespan was slowly growing shorter.

He'd have to get Hallelujah's agreement before the A-Laws attacked, whenever that would be.


	23. Reasons

AN: This chapter gave me greif like you would not believe, and so I don't have too much to say up here other than thank-god I got through it. I've written three versions of it, and this was my favorite (pieced from the other two). I took out a lot of random chunks. I hate the new break method, so I'm back to line breaks. A large thank-you is going out to those who reviewed (RT or otherwise), and especially to Anne Fatalism Dilettante, PaperxTrain, and StormyMonday, who have all been sticking this through and reviewing! I always look forward to your reviews, and it means the world to me that you all take the time to read :D.

Also, I know I write incessantly long AN's, and I'm sorry to all of you who read through them! It's generally babbling and thank-yous, so if they annoy you, please don't feel the need to continue reading them. I like talking to readers, as I know there are more readers than reviewers and I like to give everyone a bit of my perspective.

Let me know what you think!

* * *

**Reasons**

_"A man has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real __reason."_

- J. P. Morgan_  
_

Setsuna had been unconscious for hours.

Numerous people had come by the room to see the Celestial Being pilot and Marina had chased them away as politely as possible. She didn't want him to be treated like a specimen, even if he wasn't awake to complain. After all he'd been through up until that point he didn't need to be gawked at like a strange creature, even though he was one.

Marina couldn't deny that she herself watched him as if he was something she'd never seen before. She always looked at him like that. He was made of bone and muscle and sinew, but there was more than that under his olive skin. Resilience, hope, determination. The most precious belief he held radiated from him though, peace. She never thought she'd believe that someone like him could be devoted to peace, but as she watched him sleep she felt it more and more. He was doing what he was doing for peace, even if she didn't understand his logic.

"I don't think anyone really understands it."

She turned her head quickly, jarred from her quiet watch-post. She hadn't heard Reverie approach the doorway, and she wondered how long the telepath had been standing there. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in." she said, relaxing a little.

"It's alright, I haven't been standing here long." The woman said, effectively answering Marina's question. She watched her enter the room and sit down next to some of the children's toys. Over the course of the past months Marina had wondered about her more than once. In fact, the idea of the woman's abilities had crossed her mind any time that she'd had a thought that could be considered remotely private. She'd never been quite so unnerved and intrigued by another person's presence at once. It made her feel guilty. Wasn't this woman just like her underneath her unique ability?

"It's alright, I'm used to it." Reverie said, smiling. She picked up a tarnished marble from the floor and rubbed it against the rough fabric of her too-large vest. "How is he?" she looked at Setsuna.

Marina looked at the woman for a moment before turning back to the sleeping Meister. "He's stable, the bullet tore clean through his shoulder, luckily we didn't have to dig it out. He's tough, though… I don't think healing will be hard for him."

The woman nodded. "It'll be tough to keep him from fighting, though." she said, rolling the marble in her palm.

Fighting. That's right. Setsuna would have to fight again. The thought made Marina angry and she instinctively let her hand rest on the edge of the bed. "I suppose it would be foolish for me to ask him to try."

Reverie smiled. "You care about him."

Marina could feel her cheeks flush at the idea. "Well I—"

"It's good." Reverie said. "He needs someone to care. I mean, we care about him…the other Meisters care about him like a brother, but it's good that someone like you cares."

"Someone like me?" The statement caught her off-guard. What kind of person was she?

"You said it yourself, he's tough. I don't think anyone's really heard him complain, not even me…" she tapped her forehead. "You see who he is aside from his piloting abilities and dedication." She smiled as she talked about the young man. "You're the kind of person who sees people for who they are under their exterior." She gave a knowing smile.

"What do you mean?" Marina asked. She'd never really thought that she was looking under Setsuna's surface…she'd always seen the young man who was confused by the warped world. Wasn't that what everyone saw?

"Well…" Reverie tipped her head back in thought, rolling the marble between her hands. "You try to put yourself in the other person's shoes right away. I don't often meet people like that."

"If everyone stood in each other's shoes, we wouldn't have war anymore." Marina said, almost sadly. "It makes me sad to hear that this is something you rarely see." What she would give to be able to see into others' heads.

Reverie laughed. "It's not all it's made out to be." she joked.

Marina was immediately apologetic. "I'm sorry, you must go through your own problems because of your abilities." She'd seen her go through them first-hand. "But if I could 'see through your eyes' or 'hear through your ears' for one day, I think I'd understand people better. Isn't that something to aspire to?"

Reverie didn't respond, but smiled. "You'd be good for Celestial Being." she said.

"Why?" Never in a million years had Marina thought she'd hear that.

"We have the Gundams, amazing pilots, world-class staff, and volunteers who are dedicated to eradicating war whole-heartedly… but if we could get everyone in the world to understand each other, I don't think we'd have need for it all."

"Then why do you fight?" The words spilled out of her mouth almost involuntarily.

Reverie smiled and examined the marble in her fingers again. "Because when you can hear the world, you realize that universal understanding is something for dreams." She stood and adjusted the Kevlar vest and made her way to the door. Marina didn't know what she'd said to anger the woman and she immediately felt guilty. How could she hope to understand what the woman had heard? Wouldn't she hear the bad as well as the good? Then again, shouldn't someone who could hear both realize that everyone was hurting and in need of help from those around them?"

"Perhaps…" she said. Reverie stopped in the doorway. "…a dream like that can be brought about by Celestial Being."

She didn't fully believe it, but if she could reach through to the small armed organization she could help them understand others. If such a powerful organization understood the world, couldn't they bring about permanent peace?

Reverie looked back at her and smiled. "It's that kind of thinking that proves that we need you, princess." She disappeared into the corridor.

She laughed under her breath after a minute. Her? With Celestial Being? It would go against everything that she'd ever stood for. Peace, understanding, negotiation. Celestial Being fought for their version of peace with force and threats; those things could never bring long-lasting peace. Setsuna stirred and she watched him, making sure that he didn't antagonize his bandages. Even as she sat underground in Katharon's base, she couldn't acknowledge their actions as right. I f they really wanted change, they should lobby the government, protest, make their voices heard in ways that didn't shed blood and destroy lives.

Still.

If she could have an impact on these organizations from the inside, could she make a difference? Could she change the views of those pulling the most powerful trigger?

She didn't know if she could, or if she would try, but for now it was something to mull over. As she watched Setsuna sleep, she felt like it might not be as terrible an idea as she should have initially thought. If she could reach him, maybe that could be enough. If there was one thing she'd learned about Setsuna, it was that he had the power to achieve whatever he wanted.

He wanted to change the world. Maybe she could help him change it through understanding.

* * *

"Didi?"

Karen's voice made Deiter cringe a little as it echoed through the hangar. As far as he knew she still hadn't figured out that their stepfather was the mole. He knew it was only a matter of time before she clued in, but that didn't make him any more willing to approach her about it. He'd decided to spend the majority of his time fiddling with his brand-new captured GN-X. Right now he was perched on its foot, reading through the amassed data on his new machine.

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized she was leaning on the leg beside him. "What?" he asked, hoping to stall. It was blatantly obvious that he'd been avoiding her. If he hadn't been keeping his secret for most of the week, he would have been practically attached to her. She had to know this.

"You aren't going to stall this conversation any longer. I know you're hiding something from me" she said. Her tone was even, she wasn't mad, but he could hear the big-sister warning underneath it. He wanted to tell her, he really did, but he didn't want her to be blinded with hate when she heard it. "When I hear what?" Apparently they were going to have the conversation through his thoughts. He didn't want her to find out that way. "Find out _what_, Deiter?"

"Bruns is the mole."

There. He'd said it, and before she could pick it out of his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the reprimand; a slap, a yelp, anything. He opened the eye closest to her.

Her face was in one of her hands and she was shaking her head. "Ugh." she muttered. She was beating herself up, telling herself that it should have been obvious from the first moment she'd touched down. Had the two of them really become that distant? Had they become so estranged that he'd put his faith in a man who probably couldn't be trusted to truthfully relay the weather?

"What is it?" he asked curiously. He'd never known his sister to be this calm with anything concerning their stepfather, or anyone that had wronged her so strongly, for that matter. She was a great sister, but she knew how to hold a grudge.

"I should have known." she said, looking at him. She shook her head and laughed, bending and resting her hands on her knees. How could he not know why she was in a state of disbelief? "I should have known once you started avoiding me. I mean, you made the call about the mole, you're the one who's closest to him…I guess I just didn't want to see it."

"See what?" he asked, not sure he was following her.

See her brother move on. See him care about someone else. See him try to replace their father. "The day that you chose him over our family." she said. Her tone cut like a finely-sharpened blade. She started to walk away. She needed to get away before she said anything else.

"You don't mean that, do you?"

She stopped. "Of course I do. You're more loyal to someone who pushed us apart than your own family, or your own organization, for that matter. Are you that desperate for a father-figure?" Her tone cut. He knew that she could be like this, but she'd never been like this with him. Ever.

"That was unfair."

"So is this." She said, glaring at him. He didn't know how they'd gotten on this topic so quickly, but he kicked himself for not expecting it. She was laid-back most of the time, but when their father was brought up she turned into a different person. Mean, defensive, cut-throat. "Did you ever care about our family, Deiter?" That's exactly who she was now, and he felt his blood boil. Could she really say things like that when she'd been the one to abandon _them_!?

"Yeah? And how many things did you choose over our family when Dad died, huh?" She stopped. It wasn't the first time he'd thought of this, and though he knew he shouldn't, he continued. "Secondary school in Marseilles, university at the academy on the other side of the country, you took any mission that the AEU gave as long as it took you away from home, from _us_. Then when you finally came home after the incident you disappeared again after a _month_! Our family has been second to everything else for _years_! Maybe I did choose him over you, but he's been there for me more than you _ever have_."

She rushed at him, she was shaking. He'd never seen her so angry in his life, but he didn't care. "_He has NEVER been a father to either of us!" _her voice sounded more like a roar than his sister. "How can you compare him to our father!?" she demanded, stretching to stare him in the eye.

"_That's exactly it, Karen!"_ he yelled. He was just as angry as her now and they were yelling nose-to-nose. "_You don't let anyone else mourn dad! _It's like you have your own private license to mourn him and no one else can! You know what though? He's _dead_. He's _never coming back_. Why can't you see that!?"

He regretted it the second the words left his mouth. She stared at him for a few long moments before turning and taking long strides away. Her strides turned into a light jog, then a faster sprint as he realized what he'd done.

"Karen, _wait!"_

She was gone, the audible slam of the hangar door let him know it. He walked back to the GN-X and slid down its foot, tipping his head back and wondering how they'd managed to escalate so quickly. Where his sister could hold a grudge, he never could. He buried his face in his hands, wiping the sweat off his brow with the one remaining sleeve of his leather jacket. He had to take back his initial feeling. He didn't regret what he'd said, he regretted the way he'd said it.

He'd always pictured the conversation being quiet, maybe at home over lunch. He'd always known that she was headstrong, but he knew that she couldn't _want_ to carry that grudge with her. He thought that she'd cry, explain her feelings to him, and that he'd help her really let their father go. He'd never pictured it being like this. He'd never wanted to hurt her like that… distant though they'd become, she was still his older sister.

"_Reverie! Reverie!"_

A robotic voice whirred. He looked up, trying to find where the noise was coming from before realizing that it was on the ground. It was the odd white ball-robot that followed Karen around all the time. He'd asked Klaus what it was out of curiosity, and apparently it was there as a contact to Celestial Being and was keeping an eye on her health. He picked the robot up.

"_Reverie! Reverie!"_ it chimed again, swivelling in his hands.

"Whoa little buddy, you just missed her… but I'm sure we can catch up to her." he said, voice dropping.

"_You're sad, you're sad!"_ it observed, swiveling back to face him. Its eyes flashed as it seemed to stare him down.

"Well, Ka- _Reverie _and I just got in a fight… I'm not sure I can give you back right away little man…but if you can open doors she went through the third one." he said, looking at the bot incredulously.

"_No doors!"_

He sighed. "Well then, I guess you're stuck with me". He set the white ball-bot on the tool-table next to the foot of the GN-X. He had a lot of work to do if he wanted to learn to use the machine, and he had a fair amount of pent-up tension to work out now. He knew that he and Karen would talk it over. Right now it was best to let her cool off. She was still here for another two days. That was enough time for an apology.

* * *

Lyle watched Anew work with a portion of the NILE system. Her background in Mechanical Engineering and Medicine had made her a valuable asset to Ptolemy's staff, and as she twisted and connected wires he understood why. She worked with almost machine-like grace; he didn't think she'd made a mistake in the past twenty minutes… not that he would know if she had. With Reverie gone the two of them had continued to spend quite a bit of time together, and he couldn't say he was particularly bothered.

"Celestial Being must have struck gold when they found you." he said, watching her deftly snip and attach another wire. "How did you manage to master so many things?"

She laughed in her melodic pitch. "I don't know really… I've just always found these types of things easy. Is it strange to be proficient in more than one area?" she asked, tilting her head. In many ways she reminded him of a child, and yet in others she was much wiser than she appeared. Simply put, she was strange.

"Well, no." he replied. "It's just…unusual for someone to be gifted in so many difficult areas. Regenerative Medicine, Mobile Suit engineering, Astrophysics, Mechanical Engineering…If I didn't know you were standing in front of me I wouldn't believe it." he observed jokingly.

She stopped twisting the wires she was working with and blushed. "Well… they're all similar fields really. If you understand physics you can understand the rest. Medicine is math, engineering is physics, and the mechanical skills are easy to learn if someone has the time." she smiled. "One could say the same about you, Lyle." she pointed out.

That made him laugh. "Why? I'm just a run-of-the-mill anti-federationist… like any sane person."

"An anti-federationist that can pilot advanced mobile suits, fire with remarkable accuracy, and remain fairly laid-back while doing so." she quipped with a playful smile. Her smile faded and she seemed lost in thought. "Why did you join Celestial Being?"

He leaned on his elbows against a console. "The usual: angst, boredom, something to do." he smirked.

"I find that hard to believe." she said as she clipped another set of wires.

"Is that so?" he questioned.

She nodded. "Your file says your family was killed in a terrorist bombing, and that your brother was killed in action with Celestial Being."

He flinched. "You read my file?" he asked. Everyone on Ptolemy knew his story… he wasn't sure why he was so upset. Then again, he'd always been a private person to a large extent. He'd joke and be friendly, but he drew a distinct line at people invading his privacy. His past was his.

She nodded. "I had to read the Meister's files to gain an understanding of your medical histories. I'm still working my way through the crew's."

"Oh." He felt silly. Of course she'd have to read the file. Why did it bother him so much? "What about you, what possessed you to join Celestial Being?" he calmed down, letting go of his misplaced irritation.

She froze and didn't respond. He watched her curiously as the wire stripper in her hand clattered to the table.

"Anew?"

No response. Was she zoned out? Daydreaming?

"Anew?"

"Huh?" she asked, turning to him. As she turned he thought he saw the faintest glimmer of something strange in her eyes. He blinked and it was gone. "I'm sorry, I zoned out." It must have been the lighting. "What did you ask me?"

"I was wondering why you joined Celestial Being."

She blinked a few times, then responded. "I was working at the University of Cambridge and Wang Liu-Mei noticed my potential. She introduced me to the cause, and I've been with Celestial Being ever since."

"That's it?" he asked, watching her resume her work, fitting all of the wires neatly back into their panel. "No terrifying story of angst and woe?"

She laughed again and shook her head. "No, nothing like that."

She was strange, but in an eerie way that he couldn't quite isolate. She was warm and friendly and carefree, yet she'd joined a private armed organization in the hopes of ending war. Could someone without a personal knowledge of conflict do something like that? He wasn't convinced. Everyone on-board had a story, Reverie had said so. Even without Reverie's clues to each person's previous life it was obvious that they each had a dark past. Sumeragi drowned herself in alcohol. Setsuna and Tieria's emotional unbalance was obvious. Allelujah and Marie had split personalities. Feldt and Mileina had spent their entire lives with the organization. Reverie had been so tormented by her abilities that she'd resorted to overdosing on pills.

Everyone had a reason. What was Anew's?

"_All hands to level-one battle stations! Enemies approaching!"_ The ship's comms rang.

Apparently he wouldn't have time to ask. They both looked at each other. "Here we go again." he said with a wink. She smiled.

They parted ways and dashed to their respective locations, each silently hoping that the external camouflage would cover the ship.

* * *

"Are you sure you should be leaving, Setsuna?" Marina Ismail asked, following him as he walked to Double-Oh.

He turned and nodded. "I need to return to Ptolemy." He stated simply. "Reverie Traum gave me their coordinates, and they likely need Double-Oh."

"Oh." she said, gaze downcast. "Are you sure you're alright, though? You can spend more time here to heal your shoulder if you'd like." She sounded hopeful, and he couldn't ignore the tiny twinge in the back of his mind that didn't want to disappoint her.

He shook his head lightly. "No. You've done enough for me. It's time that I return."

She nodded slowly and watched him with concerned eyes. "I understand."

He hoped she did. The only way that he could ever let himself stay and heal was if he knew that his objectives had been accomplished. The fact that he was standing in a Katharon base proved that this wasn't the case.

"Princess Marina!" one of the children ran up to her, skidded to a halt, and peered at him uncertainly from behind her. "Is he leaving?" the child asked. More children gathered around as the child stared up at her.

She nodded and ruffled the child's hair. "Yes."

"Where are you going?" the child asked, looking directly at him this time.

He was leaving to try and make sure that the child-like tone, which he'd lost far before he was supposed to, stayed in the child's voice. "I'm going back to Celestial Being." he said. The children knew about Celestial Being, and he thought it best to leave it at that. He turned to leave and was stopped by a small voice.

"Mister Seiei, wait!"

He looked down as a little girl ran up to him. She shied away a little when he looked, as children tended to do around him, then steadied herself and thrust a piece of paper into the air. "This is for you. I made it."

He looked at her curiously and gently took the paper from her. He unfolded it. It was colourful and childishly drawn, and from what he could see it was all of the children holding hands with a lady in the center. Above them, in the sky littered with crayon stars, was what looked like a blue and white flying man. The little girl pulled on his hand so she could see the picture.

"That's all of us, and that's princess Marina, and that's the field that we sing about" she pointed to the ground. "And that's the Gundam." she said, pointing to the blue flying man. "Princess Marina says you sit in the Gundam and keep us safe. See? There's you." She pointed to a stick figure inside the drawing.

"And that's all our names on the other side!" another child chirped up, pointing at the paper. Setsuna turned it over and was surprised by the array of colors and languages that the names were drawn in. He could tell that Marina had written some of the names, and she'd signed it herself. _We believe in you_. He knew how much it must have taken for her to write that.

"That one's mine!" the little girl said, pointing to one.

Setsuna didn't know what to say, and there was a strange feeling in his chest, like he'd felt when Lockon had died… yet it was the same feeling as when the world had united. He was overjoyed and sad at once. Was that even possible? How could something as simple as this picture make him feel this way? "I…thank-you." He said. He wasn't used to using the words, but they felt… right.

"It's alright Mister Seiei." The little girl said.

He stood and looked at Marina. She was smiling like he'd never seen before, as though she'd seen something beautiful. He didn't understand it. "Alright children, we have to let Mr. Seiei go. Run back to the room." she said happily. The children complied, a few lingering for a moment to watch him before disappearing.

"Take care of yourself, Setsuna." she said. Her eyes were warm.

"I will." He turned to leave, then paused. "That song the children sing… I'd like to hear it again the next time we meet."

She nodded. "All right."

With that, he left. As he ascended to the cockpit he couldn't take his eyes off the piece of paper in his hand. Those children, they were being given a life that he never could have hoped for, all because of Katharon's intervention.

If there was twistedness in the world, maybe this was its opposite.

Before starting launch procedures, he took the time to carefully place the picture on one of the consoles. Somehow he realized that it was already one of his most cherished gifts.


	24. Answer Game

AN: Somehow I've found the time to update! I don't have much to say this time around, other than I've edited the previous chapter to make up for its issues. I didn't change *too* much, but hopefully what was changed has helped it (and thanks for telling me how to fix it!). This chapter was written over the last two weeks in bits and pieces, and I had to go through it a lot to make sure they were smoothed together. Lyle's bit is short, but I didn't want to add too much when I feel that what is there got the point across.I hope that shows and that my stress at the moment didn't permeate the chapter. The Katharon/Rev/Deiter 'chapter' will be closing up soon, so don't worry, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Also, a small side note about Karen/Deiter's names that was brought up in a pm: I know they aren't correct to German, but that was intentional. Gundam likes to play with names and spellings, so I changed them around a bit. I hope that clears up anyones confusion!

* * *

**Answer Game**

The halls of Katharon's residential quarters were silent. There was barely any sound in the concrete-and-dust passageways, and from time to time the ancient fluorescent lighting flickered, almost to remind those living there that the lights were nearly two-centuries past their retirement date. Many of Katharon's bases were expanded around centuries-old military bunkers left over from various major wars, and this one was no different. Some sections of the base were pristine, well-painted, and modern. Those were reserved for children, food, and parts that couldn't be handled properly in dim lighting. The rest of the base was barely hiding its ancient roots; plaster walls that barely hid the carved rock and wooden passageways from centuries before. It was eerie, yet at the same time a cold reminder that wars had been fought for too long already.

Reverie walked the halls slowly, her footsteps echoing and breaking the electric silence of the hall. Haro rolled calmly next to her, somehow not in the mood for his usual incessant chatter. She was headed to Deiter's room, but she wasn't paying particular attention to where she was going. She was being pulled from dream to dream along the halls as she thought about the events of the day.

She was in the wrong.

The thought made her press her lips into a thin line. She knew that she was wrong, and she hated herself for it. She'd never been one to raise her voice at her brother, for starters. She'd also never seen herself one day saying things just to hurt him. Finally, she hated the way that she flew off the handle whenever her father was brought up. She didn't want to, but just like when she couldn't sleep, she wasn't quite herself when her father was brought up. It wasn't just her error that made her upset, though.

Where she was wrong, Deiter was right.

He was right that she'd stayed as far away from her family as possible after their father's death. From outward appearances she'd moved on. She'd completed school, gone on to complete further education, worked with the AEU Defence Force, and after her accident she'd disappeared. In reality, she'd been running since the day she left his funeral.

She bit her lip when she realized she was at the right door. Haro bumped into her leg, apparently as spaced out as she'd been. He didn't speak, but flapped his ears to steady himself. She knocked lightly on the door.

"Didi?" she questioned softly. Part of her hoped he hadn't heard her; that meant it wasn't too late to run. She shook her head. No, she couldn't run anymore. If she was going to be useful to anyone; CB, Katharon, Deiter, _herself_…she had to start accepting responsibility for her screw-ups. Sumeragi had made her realize it, and ever since she couldn't get the idea out of her head.

She knocked again, louder this time. "Deiter, can I come in?"

"Yeah. I wasn't sleeping anyways." He pulled the door open. "Karen I'm-!"

"Don't say it. _I'm _sorry." she cut him off with a hug.

When she pulled away, he scratched his head in confusion. "Well… I can't say I expected that." He quipped, barely hiding a subtle smirk.

"I'm sorry." she repeated, this time for her surprise visit in the middle of the night.

"Stop saying that. It sounds weird, coming from you."

"I'm sorr-!"

"Jeez, you're terrible at taking direction. Come on." He dragged her into the room and sat down on the bed with his back against the wall. She looked at him curiously for a moment before he patted the space next to him. "Just like when we were kids. Sit down." She silently wondered when he'd decided to become the older sibling.

She listened and they found themselves staring at the wall in silence. She could hear him going through the conversation that he'd pictured over and over again, throwing pieces out and adding to others. She tried to block him out as best as possible, but she hadn't slept since the day before and it was already wearing her tediously thin. She sighed.

"Deiter I-!"

"Have I ever told you how I felt after dad died?" he asked, cutting her off. He'd never told her. Even when they were young he'd avoided the topic avidly, and she'd always wondered how he'd really felt under the surface. Sometimes she wondered if he felt it at all.

"No, you haven't."

"I imagine it was the same as you were feeling, or something close. I mean, I was a lot younger than you, so I didn't understand it the same way most likely, but I knew that he was gone." She swallowed. "I watched Mom busy herself with the funeral obsessively, like the most important decision in her life was whether or not to pick blue or yellow flowers. I saw our relatives drift in and out of the house, sometimes shaking their heads, other times in a rush as though it was a chore. Most of all I saw that dad's things disappeared one-by-one from the house as though they'd never existed. It was like… he was being erased."

She bit her lip. She'd seen the same thing, day-in-day out. She didn't want to, but it was painfully obvious that their mother was trying to erase the things that pained her, their father's things. His memory.

"I was scared to bring up my memories of him because somehow I thought that she could erase those, too. Like maybe if I brought up my memories of the carnival we went to, or him dropping me at school, or his visit for career day, that she'd somehow be able to pull them right out of my head. I could see her getting more and more upset each time you brought him up, and sure enough, you disappeared."

Her eyes widened. "Didi, Mom didn't chase me out of the house for remembering dad." Had he really thought that when he was younger?

"I know, she didn't do it intentionally anyways. I mean, we always knew that I was her little boy and you were daddy's girl. It wasn't hard to see that looking at you hurt her. I always hoped that you couldn't see it…" His face was a mixture of apology and pity, as though he felt bad for speaking the truth.

"I know she didn't mean to." Reverie barely whispered. "I know she tried to hide it."

He nodded. "I knew you were going to leave. We'd always known that you were closer to Dad than I ever was, or even at times than Mom had ever been, and I knew it was a matter of time. I remember not being surprised at all when you dragged Mom away from my eighth birthday party to show her the pamphlet you'd found for a French high school program in Marseilles." She flinched inside. She'd always assumed that Deiter was too young to have understood what she was talking about. "And to be honest, part of me was happy."

"Why?" It sounded like the dumbest question she'd ever asked.

"Because I knew I could never match your grief. Even now you wear it like a martyr's cloak."

His words stung. "Deiter, that isn't true."

"Isn't it? Look me in the eye and tell me you've moved on." He said flatly.

She glared at him. "Fine." She softened her glare when she realized that she was starting to put her walls up again. Now wasn't the time.

"It's _not_ fine. It isn't healthy and it's hurting you. You can't tell me that the grudge you're carrying isn't tearing you apart."

She wanted to snap again, but she focused on keeping calm. What he was saying was true. She knew that. Still, the urge to be defensive was almost overwhelming. "I think I have other issues that are doing a good enough job of that already." She said slowly, pressing a finger to her forehead.

"Which is exactly why you don't need to be carrying around this anger."

There he was, her eighteen-year-old wise-man brother. She wasn't sure why he was piloting when he was a master of playing therapist. Still, he was right, wasn't he?

"I can't let it go." She said. "Not yet."

"Why? So you can keep your grudge against Bruns?" he asked knowingly. "displacing your anger like this isn't going to help you, Karen… it's going to eat you alive."

"I have my own reasons for hating Bruns, Deiter. I'm not displacing my anger."

"Keep telling yourself that, Karen. If Bruns really is the lowlife you keep insisting that he is, why spend so much time and attention on him?"

"I…." she didn't know how to retort to that, though she wanted to. She closed her mouth. "I don't know, alright?"

He shrugged. "Alright. Just make sure you think about that, _Ka_."

They sat in silence for a moment before he stood. "I have to get back to bed, I've gotta test-run the GN-X tomorrow, but I want you to take this." He pulled a small wooden box off the shelf that ran along the other wall in his room. He opened it and dug through it with a finger before pulling out a long metal chain with two tags at the end. She knew what it was immediately.

"Dad's unit tags…" She thought they'd been lost with him in the fire.

"I hid them when Mom was getting rid of his things and I've kept them with me ever since."

"Why would you give them to me?" she asked, holding out her hand when he held the chain over her. He dropped the tags and put the box away.

"Maybe if you wear his tags as a memory you'll stop carrying his death."

His tone was wistful, but the message sharp. She turned them over in her hand as she stood. She remembered playing with them when she was a child, and they looked just as they did the last time she'd seen them. She closed her fist around them. "Didi?"

"hm?"

She hugged him again. "Thank-you."

She left before he could see the tears in her eyes.

* * *

Lyle cursed as he lost his shot again. The A-Laws were attacking Ptolemy, and so far they'd been relentless. He and Tieria had been fighting non-stop for what had to be at least a few hours. Only having two machines put them at a severe disadvantage… one they were feeling intensely. The pitch-black of night surrounding Ptolemy added to the ominous setting, and the flashes from beam weapons and shots were almost swallowed up. If there was one bright side to the situation, it was that he didn't have to rely on eyesight to fight; Cherudim's night optics were fantastic.

As excellent as Cherudim's technology was, it couldn't make-up for the intense situation that he was currently embroiled in. The A-Laws telepath was present, and he'd decided to doggedly pursue Lyle again. It was confusing and irritating and strange all at once. The other pilot fought as though Lyle was the only opponent on the field, and worked with blatant disregard for any of his comrades. More than that though, it was obvious that he wanted something _specific_ from Lyle. He wasn't attacking to kill, he was attacking to immobilize Cherudim.

"_You're right, Lyle Dylandy."_

That voice, _his_ voice rang through the comms as he twisted and dodged away from the offending suit's attacks. The voice was the most irritating piece of all. Since he'd arrived Lyle had been battling a sickening feeling in his gut, and it had stopped him from taking chances to destroy the offending suit. As he dodged and evaded and tried not to attack, one question turned over and over in his mind.

What if the man wasNeil?

Could he really pull the trigger if he had doubts? Would he ever be able to let it rest without knowing? What if he pulled the trigger and learned that it really was Neil on the other end? He couldn't risk it. He couldn't pull the trigger, that much was certain. The only option that was left was to dodge the deep green suit and wait for a chance to immobilize it. Somehow, they were playing the same game. Shoot, dodge, slash, parry. Never land a hit that can kill.

He didn't know how the fight would end, but he was sure of one thing: both of them would make it out.

* * *

Although she was reaching exhaustion, Reverie didn't want to be put under yet. Her conversation with Deiter had left her with a mix of feelings that she didn't know how to process and she wanted to take whatever time she could, alone, to think about them. The dreams of those around her were flitting through her consciousness here and there, interrupting her thoughts with their interjections. Although the dreams were getting difficult to block out, it was peaceful.

She was lying back on her bed, twirling her father's tags around her finger. The quite whoosh of their motion somehow added to the atmosphere as she watched the iron tags spin. She and Deiter had talked out their confrontation from earlier in the day, but she still felt like it hadn't been resolved. She knew that Deiter was fine, the trouble lay with her. She still felt defensive about what he'd said, and it angered her. She shouldn't have been so quick to snap, and she'd never thought of how her words would hurt him when she said them. It was so unlike her that she felt embarrassed. She knew more than anyone how important it was to screen words…she heard them un-screened all day, and she'd used those burning, sharp words on her little brother. Her _family._

"Visitor! Visitor_!"_ Haro quietly chirped, interrupting her thoughts.

"I doubt it Haro, go back to bed." She would have heard a visitor's thoughts, so it was out of the question that anyone was standing outside her door.

"_Visitor! Visitor!_" it insisted, rolling to the door and spinning in front of it. She stopped spinning her father's tags and listened to the silence of the room to appease the little bot. She'd expected silence to confirm her suspicions, but it wasn't silent. She could hear a faint whirring noise outside her door, likely radiating from down the hall. It was probably someone cleaning, or one of the kids playing with a toy when they should have been asleep, she decided. Regardless, she knew Haro wouldn't be quiet about it until she'd investigated. She slipped the tags around her neck, pulled the door open with a bit of frustration, and stepped out into the hall.

The whirring had disappeared around the next corner and she walked with brisk, unhindered strides towards it, Haro following along. It definitely sounded like a mechanical floor-cleaner. She wondered who would bother cleaning halls that were made of a material that seemed to shed dust, but shrugged it off. One could try, right?

She turned the corner with feigned irritation, then stopped dead in her tracks. _Froze_ in her tracks.

An automaton.

Not even ten feet in front of her, in all its terrifying, towering steel glory. Her breath caught in her throat and she forced herself to exhale slowly. She couldn't panic this time, though the urge to was almost overwhelming.

Its camera was turned away from her, and she knew that if she was silent she could sneak back around the corner and alert the rest of the base. If there was one of them, there were bound to be more, and the faster the others knew, the better. She was about to turn and leave when she saw something that made her breath draw in again.

The door to the children's area was open and casting a sole light across the hall. It was the worst possible scenario. Someone was awake in there, and the machine was steadily advancing. Her stomach turned anxiously as she listened for the person in the room.

_-I wonder why he needs a story every time he wakes up. What could have happened to him to create such terrible nightmares?-_

Marina.

She was unwittingly baiting an automaton with the shadows that danced out the door of the daycare room. She had to think of something immediately, But what? She was having trouble hearing herself think… how the hell was she supposed to take on an automaton!? She shook her head to clear the doubt-inducing tone.

"Haro, go warn Marina about the visitor, alright?" she quietly instructed the white ball. It spun and flapped its ears before rolling determinedly down the hall. Now she just had to distract the giant killing machine.

"_HEY!"_ she yelled and advanced on the machine. She'd have to stay out of the way of its camera so it couldn't aim, but she had to get it away from that room. She darted to the machine and gave it a thorough kick to get its attention. _'Dammit!' _Her foot throbbed painfully as punishment for her recklessness, but she didn't have time to nurse it as the machine started to turn. Seeing its bright red camera reminded her that this wasn't the brightest idea she'd ever had. '_Stupid, stupid, stupid!' _She'd have to make do with her terrible idea. She heard the whirring of its camera focusing and sprinted around the corner as quickly as she could. It swerved and raced after her. '_Yes!' _Her heart was pounding in her ears as she heard it smash into the wall behind her. She tripped on a chunk of off-cast rock and was thrown off her feet hard enough to make her teeth crack together painfully. Though stunned from the sudden impact she rolled, got up as quickly as she could, and sprinted again with the machine in pursuit. Three long strides later she made it to her door and slid in. A second later half her doorframe was missing as the automaton swiped by.

A cloud of dust and rubble filled her room and she found herself fumbling blindly for her handgun, fingers trembling. She was shaking and her breath was coming out in strained gasps, but she wasn't panicking this time. She slipped a hand under her pillow and grabbed the handgun that she'd placed there. The antique pistol in her vest would do nothing against the steel killing machine, but the energy-pulse handgun that she'd retrieved stood a chance. She pressed herself to the wall closest to her destroyed door and listened to the hallway. The dust in the air burned her lungs and her own wheezing made listening difficult, but she could hear it. The slow, methodical, mechanical buzz of its camera searching through the haze made her shiver. It rolled closer, closer, closer, until she was deathly sure that it was on the other side of the slowly crumbling wall. She squeezed her eyes shut, raised her pistol and-!

Shots cracked through the air and bright flashes of light filtered past her eyelids. The repetitive crack of automatic fire filled the hallway with deafening sound and she raised a hand to shield herself from the bits of plaster that fell from the ceiling in response to the sharp sound. The shots cut off abruptly and footsteps took their place.

"Reverie Traum!"

"Shirin?" Reverie opened her eyes, lowered her weapon, and leaned past the rubble-filled hall. The automaton was lying in a twisted heap at the far end of the hall, and sure enough, Shirin was making her way towards her. Her automatic rifle was slung over her shoulder, a second hung loosely in her grip, and she seemed to be completely fine.

"Are you alright?"

Reverie nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. What's going on?" She could hear people's minds shifting as they awoke, and her body hummed with the nervous energy that the countless Katharon members were feeling. No one really knew what was happening, and the voices started to swirl almost painfully in her head. She took a deep breath and tried to separate her thoughts from the others.

"It's A-Laws, they're after the high-profile political targets we're housing here. Take this and follow me." Reverie caught the heavy automatic weapon and the two spare magazines that the woman handed her. She turned one of them over and examined it. The training Lyle had given her told her that it was an antique weapon that had been modified to take high-powered energy-pulse ammunition. That explained how it was able to take out the A-Laws killing machine. She slipped the battery-mags into her vest and followed Shirin out of the hall.

"If they're after high-profile targets, why are they sending Automatons?"

"The Automatons aren't set to kill-mode, they're set to immobilize."

That would make more sense. She could feel herself trying to figure out what their plan of attack would be from a forecasting perspective, but she couldn't isolate her thoughts enough to really form any kind of conclusions. She pressed a hand to her head and squeezed her eyes shut briefly. "What are you doing in response?" it was hard to hear her voice properly over the chatter behind her eyes. Shirin pointed to her head.

_-We're mo-What time is it, my alar-the A-Laws are in th-the vice minister! One shot…- _Reverie shook her head and placed a hand firmly on the woman's shoulder. She'd been awake long enough that the thoughts were starting to reach their first state of jumbled confusion. Whenever she reached the twenty-four hour mark of wakefulness, the thoughts competed with each other in a confusing array of incompletes. She was a few hours shy of that point, but the shock of finding an automaton and outrunning it must have used up whatever energy she'd had minutes before. Physical contact was the only solution at the moment. "Sorry." She apologized.

Shirin nodded. _-We're moving you all to shelters, and our forces are clearing the tunnels.- _"I'm sorry that I can't explain out-loud…" _–The A-Laws have men moving through the tunnels as we speak-_

"And me?" she asked, walking alongside the woman with her hand still loosely resting on her shoulder.

_-You'll be going to one of the shelters.-_

Reverie raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure I could be of better use to you than that." She didn't like the idea of having to sit back and wait while other people fought, especially when she could give the Katharon members an advantage.

_-I read your file. The fact that you've reached a point where you need physical contact says that you can't be of use right now.- _They stopped by a large chunk of fallen ceiling tile and Shirin pulled it aside to reveal a glistening steel door. _–Get inside, I'll lock you in.-_ Marina and the children were already inside and the princess held them protectively as the door opened. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw who had opened it.

"Are you sure that's the best idea?" Reverie asked, returning to their conversation. Still, she could hear the unconvincing tone of her own voice. She needed to sleep, if only a short nap. The problem with that idea was that battles were usually very short.

_-I can't focus on fighting if I'm worried that you're going to be caught, and neither can the rest of the crew, your brother included.-_

She couldn't argue, and she would have asked the same thing of anyone else given the situation. She nodded and stepped through the door as a familiar drone started to tug at the back of her mind. "You may want to ready your pilots, I can hear Pseudo-drives on the way."

Shirin nodded and closed the door.


	25. White-Washed

AN: Long time no speak! I'm starting to get wickedly busy again, so updates aren't going to be held to a standard schedule other than "probably every two weeks". This is a longer chapter, but I didn't want to cut it down because I couldn't find a distinct place to do so. Like the last one, this was written in pieces, and surprisingly out-of-order. I went through it a few times to make it more smooth, so hopefully that shows. Let me know if there are any fix-ups that need to be done and I'll go back and do them (as I did with chapter 23, and Chapter 14). I have a lot of fixing up to do, so don't be surprised if the story gets cleaned up a lot.

Stormy: Well, in German, 'Karen' would be 'Karin' and 'Deiter' would be 'Dieter'(depending on area/tradition). Gundam likes to mess around, so I decided to. As for Gallagher...he's about to have a rude awakening! *squees in delight because I'm so excited!*

Let me know what you think, and for this chapter I listened mainly to a Three Days Grace mashup, as well as "The Last Song" from Rihanna. I don't know why.

* * *

**White-Washed**

_"Older men declare war, but it is youth who must fight and who die."_

Herbert Hoover

Though her expression was calm, Marina's heart was pounding harder than she could ever remember. The dim lighting in Panic Room Three fell on the faces of the children gathered around her, and for once, she didn't know how to explain what was happening. She shivered as she thought of what was happening outside. The automatons, the silent massacre, people she cared about left defenseless. How could she explain to these children the sound of the single shots? The sound was so innocent itself… it betrayed the horrible truth that people were dying. They weren't only dying, they were being _sorted_. Some for life, others for death. Why? Because the A-Laws valued some over others. Politicians, defected members, Katharon operatives. Everyone else was discarded. It made her angry and sick at the same time. How anyone could choose between lives was something Marina never wanted to understand.

Shirin had come by the room a handful of times to bring more people into the small safe-haven, and each time Marina tried to convince her to join them. She knew better though, Shirin would never put down her weapon, whether it be her mind or her rifle. Still, she tried.

"_Stay here, help the injured and the disoriented."_

As Marina looked around, she knew she could say she'd done that much. Shirin had snatched people here and there from the Automatons and dragged them to the room, half asleep from the tranquilizers in their systems. Others she'd pulled out of the wreckage of their rooms, bullet-riddled yet fortunate enough to not receive a killing shot. Marina had tended to each; stitching wounds, calming the disoriented, and stopping bleeding. It was all she could do to save the people that had come to be her family. The children had been eager to help, and she taught them basic first-aid; bandaging, disinfecting, and how to apply pressure to wounds. She'd wondered if it was the right thing to do, but keeping their small hands busy lowered the chance that they'd succumb to shock.

She carefully worked on her line of stitches, closing up a gash from a grazed bullet. The woman who'd been shot was one of the weapons technicians that Marina didn't know very well. Still, she worked with extreme care. She wanted the wound to heal properly, but she also wanted to hide the shake in her hands.

"Stable! He's stable!" the robotic voice of Reverie's pet robot whirred.

The small bot had insisted on putting Reverie to sleep almost immediately upon their reunion. She was curled up in one of the corners of the room leaning against the wall, her weapon resting in her lap. Before she'd fallen asleep she'd insisted that Marina use the small bot to keep an eye on the sleeping figures that were almost tangled together. Now the small bot was bouncing from figure to figure, sitting on their chests, and giving Marina their reports. She was relieved. She didn't want to teach the children to monitor heart-rates lest someone pass on. There were too many heavy things happening that she couldn't explain, she didn't need to add one more.

She tried not to flinch as she heard a shot that sounded nearer than the last. She kept carefully stitching, willing her hands to stop shaking. Another shot rang off and she dropped the needle, her fingers trembling.

"Are they hammering something outside?" One of the young girls asked, picking up the needle and handing it back to the trembling princess.

Marina shook her head. "I'm not sure, We'll have to ask them later, right?" she did her best to muster her usual warm smile.

The girl seemed to accept it. "You must be awfully cold, princess Marina."

"Why do you say that?" She passed one of the few remaining alcohol swabs over the needle and resumed her stitching.

"You're shaking an awful lot."

Marina froze, then nodded. "Yes, it's a little bit cold in here for me." Children had the most questions, but they were also excellent at giving answers that an adult wouldn't think to use as an excuse. "Can you be a big help and count how many swabs we have left?"

The girl nodded and sat down, picking up as many swabs as her little hands could. Marina knew that the girl had been basically illiterate upon arrival at the base, but she was getting stronger with her numbers and letters every day. "One, two, three….."

She listened to the confused silence and focused on the girl's counting to drown out what had become the rapid fire of automatic weapons.

"Four! Five…six.."

If she held onto that small voice, she could remember the things that were meaningful in the world, the things that the A-Laws had forgotten were important.

Life, friendships, caring.

A little girl learning to count.

Her hands steadied as she stitched. Yes, there were people dying outside, people that she'd come to know and love. In here though, there were people she could save. If she could focus on that, maybe she could keep the threat of shock at bay long enough to help them make it out.

She could try.

* * *

Tieria had never seen anything like the absolute chaos around him. Countless mobile suits were standing ready at the Africa Tower, A-Laws, Earth Federation, and Coup d'état forces alike. Katharon had been present, but had disappeared shortly after arriving for reasons that Sumeragi was withholding from the comms. Regardless, the silence that surrounded the area was permeating everything, as though the whole force was holding their breath. Even the fight between A-Laws and Celestial Being had come to a standstill, for now.

He looked around the area. He could see the Ptolemaios II at a distance, its field still at maximum. Cherudim was hovering far to his right, a little worse for wear, and the A-Laws Gundam that had been chasing it was nowhere to be seen. Arios was to Seravee's left, and it was in remarkable condition. Hallelujah had opted to pilot the machine under loose orders instead of having to sit out a battle in his padded cell, and Tieria had never been happier to see him. So far he'd done an impressive job of tearing apart their opponents and following orders, surprisingly. To be honest, he was most relieved that they had three functioning Gundams again. '_Four'._ He corrected himself. As of minutes ago, Setsuna had returned.

Tieria's happiness stood in stark contrast to the situation before them. If the coup d'état went according to plan, it seemed inevitable that the world would react quickly and violently to the government's betrayal. It would gain Celestial Being and Katharon a great following, but it would result in bloodshed that would directly conflict with Celestial Being's goals. The world wasn't ready to peacefully reform, not yet. He knew this with fearful certainty. On the other hand, if the coup d'état was stopped – no, _silenced_ – the A-Laws would gain even more support, and it would cement their necessity in the federation. There was no easy solution to the problem, but either way, people would die. The question was 'how many?'.

Amidst the hushed uncertainty, Tieria couldn't help but mull over Katharon's strange disappearance. If there was one organization that would definitely benefit from being present, it was the anti-government people's group. It was almost a necessity to have Katharon be present, yet they'd pulled back so suddenly. What could make them pull away from such a pivotal event? They hadn't had a large force present to begin with, and their closest branch was on the southern end of Europe.

He shook his head and opened his comms link, targeting Marie Perfacy's station. Her face appeared in the corner of his central monitor and he didn't waste any time. "What's Katharon's status?" He hoped that Sumeragi hadn't issued a specific order not to speak about it.

"There's been an attack by the A-Laws Eastern European contingent."

"Where?"

"Katharon's Eastern European branch. We haven't gotten any more than that."

"That's fine." He closed the link.

Katharon's departure made a lot more sense. The group that had been at the Africa Tower must have left to replace the defence at their Southern European branch, allowing reinforcements from the southern branch to engage the A-Laws in the east. The eastern branch was somewhat of an underground fortress, its tunnels reinforced from wars three hundred years prior, and new additions that resulted in miles of tunnel under permanently frozen ground. That was the reasoning behind its use as a safe-haven for political refugees and Katharon's leaders.

Tieria's eyes widened as he realized what the A-Laws were doing.

"They're taking the refugees…"

If they managed to retake those who had defected and the executives of Katharon, it would cripple the efforts of the organization. Everything that the organization had accomplished could come unravelled if the A-Laws captured those people. Reverie Traum would be a likely target as well, but in the scheme of things she would be a treat, not their intended target.

He punched in the comms code for the bridge immediately. "Sumeragi Lee Noriega, we must send machines to aid Katharon."

Her expression wasn't one that he'd expected. It was strained, yet reserved. She knew. Of course she did, she was a forecaster… she would have come to the same conclusions that he had almost immediately. "I know."

"Then why haven't we sent anyone!?"

"There's no time." She tapped at the keyboard in her armrest and his left monitor lit up with satellite imagery of the top end of the tower. He could see the vibrant colors of an explosion, and he could see the metallic reflections of the outer shell as it shattered.

"Because the tower is starting to fall."

* * *

The tunnels and halls of Katharon's base were overrun with A-Laws soldiers. They'd been working their way through the tunnels in teams, tranquilizing some members and shooting others as they awoke. It was terrifying, and it had been carrying on for over three hours. It was nothing like they'd seen before. There wasn't the brutal sound of doors being smashed in or the rapid fire of machine guns, just the silence between silenced shots and the sound of unconscious bodies being carried by automatons.

Mirial's breath caught in her throat as she darted through the hangar to one of the Tierens that was partially disassembled. She chose her steps carefully and tried to remain as silent as possible, squeezing her eyes shut as she crossed the last few metres. Finally, she reached the leg of the giant machine and slid into the cavity of its disassembled foot. Like some of the more fortunate members, Shirin had managed to reach her before one of the armed teams had made it to her room. She was supposed to make it to Panic Room Two, but that plan had been thoroughly thwarted when both halls that lead to the room had the telltale blue hue of A-Laws rifles emanating from them. The hangar was her next logical choice. If push came to shove, she could pilot at a strong enough level to help the evacuation effort. The likelihood of anyone finding her in the mobile suit's leg was minimal, for now. Soon the launch would start and the hangar would be bathed in light and action. Until then though, she had to stay hidden.

She silently whined. As she sat under the protective armour shell of the foot, she wondered how something like this could be happening. Why weren't the alarms ringing? What had happened to panic rooms three and four? Why wasn't the hangar buzzing with launch activity already?

The last question was the easiest to answer; the pilots couldn't get to the hangar because of the A-Laws firing teams that were roaming loose in the halls. The others made her sick. The base had over three hundred members, and she wondered how many of them would manage to make it out of their rooms. In her own hall, only a handful had made it, courtesy of Shirin. The rest? Who knew. In the blackness of the power-dry halls, it was impossible to tell how many more could have survived. The alarms, like the power, had likely been tampered with. She shivered. How could something like this have been allowed to happen?

She forgot her train of thought and tensed as she heard nearby footsteps, eyes wide. She drew a slow, shaky breath and tried to look for the blue light, but there was nothing. She relaxed.

"Mirial!"

The whispered voice made her flinch, but she recognized it and exhaled, her pulse racing from the miniature jump-start.

"Deiter!"

If it were any other day and under any other circumstances, she would have bubbled over in happiness, but today she was washed with simple, noiseless relief.

"Come on, get out of there, you have to help me get the hangar ready for launch!" he offered his hand and she slid out of her hiding place.

"How did you know I was there?"

"A hunch."

How he knew her so well still amazed her. Right now she didn't have time to appreciate it, though. They made their way through the dark and to the service panel of his GN-X. "Without power I'm not sure how much I can do for you."

"The machines don't need power to launch, though."

"Yes, but the massive hangar door _does_."

"Can the GN-X open it?"

She thought for a moment, balancing the GN-X's power and structural intergrity haphazardly in her mind. "Yes, but you'll need something to keep it open afterwards. If the door slams back down, it could be permanently sealed shut." '_And be the end of the rest of us'_ she added silently. From what she could see in the shadows, he looked dejected. "But… we _could_ use one of the repair suits as a doorjamb!" she suggested, trying to be optimistic in her whisper. She was still shaking a little, she hoped he couldn't see.

"Can you pilot it?"

"Of course." She replied matter-of-factly. Her piloting skills were something Katharon was only aware of on her file, and she'd never seen any reason to demonstrate her abilities.

"Alright. I'll go ahead, you follow with the repair machine. First, though…does your pager still work?" he asked, unclipping his from his belt.

She nodded. "I'll page the other pilots."

"You always know what to do. Here," he said, sliding his leather jacket off. "You look like you could use this, you're shaking a little."

She was relieved that he couldn't see her blush… she had no right to be blushing in a situation like this, but it didn't stop his kindness from making her calm down. "I'll be in your old Enact." She said, pulling the one-armed jacket on.

"And I'll be out there." He pointed at the hangar door. She turned to leave. "One more thing!" he said. She turned back to face him.

"hm-!" She was silenced as he placed a quick, soft kiss to her lips. She was so caught off-guard that she didn't respond. Had it finally happened? She'd liked him for as long as she could remember, but they'd danced around their feelings constantly. Until now. She looked at him curiously. "Why now?"

"In case I don't get the chance again." He watched her with worried eyes, and turned to leave. She caught his wrist gently, and hugged him worriedly.

"Deuxie?"

"Yes?"

"Come back in one piece."

"I'll do my best."

With that, they darted away to their machines, each trying to focus on the task at hand.

* * *

Large slabs of the tower's outer shell were falling everywhere around Cherudim. Haro had taken control of the Gundam, allowing Lyle the freedom to focus and destroy as many of the giant pieces of destruction as possible. His form was flawless and his accuracy should have been second to none, but he was being ruthlessly distracted by the A-Laws telepath. He fired and destroyed another set of the falling tower fragments before Cherudim lurched hard enough to make him sick.

"Dammit Haro, what happened!?"

"Enemy Gundam!" it said, its voice warping as Cherudim swerved again.

He didn't have to ask who the enemy was. He refocused and targeted the attacking Gundam. The man didn't care about life; that had never been more clear than it was now, with tens of thousands of lives depending on the eradication of the falling debris. The fact that someone could disregard human life so easily gave him his resolve. He would take this man out of the sky.

"_Is that so, Lyle Dylandy?" _

He could feel his anger grow as he was taunted by his own voice through the comms. He wasn't close to people, he'd never been one to care about those around him as much as his friends, or even his brother had. Still, what kind of evil had to live in this man to ignore the thousands below?

"_Your brother, Lyle? I can call you Lyle, right? Why don't you tell me about your dear, _dead_, brother!?"_

Lyle groaned through his teeth as Cherudim swerved violently again as Haro dodged a very close slash of the telepath's beam saber. His brother? How could this man know!? He didn't think of his brother in times like these… had he dragged the information out of Reverie?

"_Not everything needs to be spoon-fed, Lyle. It wasn't hard to find out all about your precious twin brother…I wonder what he'd look like now…"_

He was intentionally trying to rile him up. Why? Lyle didn't have a god-damned clue, and he wasn't about to give in. He targeted a chunk over the Gundam's shoulder and took it out before firing a set of warning shots at the offending suit.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've got a thing for me." He quipped as the suit followed him. There, sarcasm. If that couldn't throw him off, he'd be stuck. He could feel the pressure of impending death all around him. There were people counting on all of the mobile suits around him, and he needed to lose this man as fast as he could.

"_You could say that, but I've never seen your face, Meister dear."_

His face. That voice. His _twin_. Is that what this never-ending chase was about?"Is that what you want!?" he demanded, dodging a set of expertly-placed shots. Haro yelled an alert in time for him to take out a tower chunk directly above them, and Cherudim's sensors whined at him as the rubble of the piece clattered along its armour.

"_It'll do for now… I know how badly you want to help all the little oblivious people. What I don't understand is why, Lyle. Why help the people who rejoiced when the Earth Federation formed, and why protect those who'll hold the A-Laws up like battle-worn heroes after we destroy you?"_

Lyle's jaw clenched and he silently willed his anger to calm. He knew these kinds of things would happen, and he knew that the general public would never know what had really transpired. Lies like the ones this man was exalting were the things that had driven him to Katharon. If he'd wondered before, he knew from the man's lack of concern that there was no way it could be Neil. His brother had his demons, but they were nothing like this. They didn't support the death of innocents, only the guilty. "How can you go on about this crap when people are going to die?"

"_Die today, die tomorrow, it's irrelevant. Isn't that how you approached your brother's death, Lyle?"_

The sneer in the copycat voice sung with truth. The man could read him, and he wasn't in a place where he could debate the endless angst of his relationship with his brother. He had no time to debate anything. He pulled his helmet off harshly and let it clatter to the floor of the cockpit.

"My brother is dead, and this is my face. You have what you want, now let me help save these people!"

His voice resonated in the small space, and then everything froze. The relentless suit stopped, its weapons lowered and it hung in his monitor like a dormant titan.

"_How…?"_

The seconds dragged on, long and empty, and his nerves were standing on end as he waited for it to attack. It didn't. The communication link closed.

Slowly, the Gundam dropped from his screen and fell helplessly towards the ground. He watched the massive figure of green and black steel as it plummeted. He didn't go after it, there was no time. He targeted a set of debris chunks, finally free to do so.

"We'll check it out later Haro, right now we have bigger problems."

He could feel the weight of the strange action on his mind, but the Gundam would shelter the pilot from the fall. Nothing would shelter the people below from the ruins of the orbital elevator.

* * *

The world was blurry as Reverie opened her eyes. Dim lights and faces swirled for a few moments before slowly settling. Her head was pounding, but she couldn't think of why.

"Miss Traum!"

Marina's voice. She opened her eyes further and focused, trying to take in her surroundings. She was still in the panic room with the children and Marina, though they'd gained a number of new faces in the time she'd been passed out. Half of her body was asleep as well, pressed against the frigid wall of the underground room, and if she wasn't mistaken she had the imprint of her rifle on the side of her face.

"Are you alright?" Marina was kneeling in front of her, hand on her shoulder.

Reverie nodded. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Around four hours, but we have to go immediately, Shirin can explain on the way."

Reverie looked past Marina to see Shirin standing in the doorway, two armed men with her. Whatever was happening, it required them to leave the safety of the room. Reverie stood slowly, supporting herself against the wall as the room started to spin. "How did you wake me up?" she asked suddenly, realizing that Haro had knocked her out.

"Let's go, I'll tell her on the way." Shirin instructed from the doorway, it appeared that the injured had mostly been moved out of the room by the time she'd woke. Reverie stepped out into the hall and followed the group of people that Shirin was leading, Marina and the armed men behind. One of the children was holding onto Haro, who seemed content with the attention. She made a sluggish effort to catch up to Shirin, her limbs were still not very cooperative, yet somehow she was filled with energy.

"What's happening?" she fell into step with Shirin. Her symptoms were dying down slowly, but the pain in her head remained.

"A-Laws are planning an airstrike, they've left the base completely. We've managed to evacuate almost everyone, Panic Room Three was the last to clear out as it was closest to the hangar."

"Are there mobile suits in the air?" She was starting to recognize the droning pain. Still, it wasn't as powerful as it should have been if there was a full-scale mobile suit battle raging.

Shirin nodded. "Our forces have been deployed for the past hour, the GN-X units were first to launch, and we've had to resort to launching anything we have left."

Why would they have mobile suits in the air if they were planning an air strike? The A-Laws suits weren't designed for attacks that would penetrate underground. It didn't make sense. As they wove through the tunnels she tried to analyze the situation, but her concentration was non-existent. "How did you wake me up?"

"With an adrenaline shot to counteract the tranquilizers."

Reverie didn't have time to retort about the ill-safety of the method as a stream of shots penetrated the silence. One of the Automatons was still in the building. The rapid fire of the machine ripped into the walls behind them, catching one of the guards and sending their group flying behind any form of protection that the dilapidated corridor offered. She cursed as her back dug into thick wire that was woven into her makeshift concrete shield.

"Is everyone all right!?" Shirin's voice echoed through the hall. A muffled cry from one of the children ruined that hope.

"No, Jada's been hit in the leg, and one of the men is…" Dead. Marina wouldn't say it around the children, Reverie knew that much. There was silence from Shirin for a moment.

"We need to get rid of it, its blocking our exit to the Hangar. If we aim for the camera, we may be able to take out its motherboard."

Reverie didn't respond, but checked her magazine. Still the same amount as before she'd been knocked out. Good. She didn't know how many shots it would take to get rid of the machine, and they had no idea what would be waiting for them outside the hangar. She hoped that her sessions with Lyle had improved her abilities… the Automaton's camera wasn't exactly a large target.

She turned and pushed some of the rubble off the concrete slab and propped the rifle up on it, making sure she remained covered while targeting the small, moving red dot. The rifle was tight in her shoulder, she was set to take recoil, and she tried to drown out the pain in her head and the sound of rapid-fire as the others attempted to immobilize the machine. She pulled the trigger slowly and watched as her first shot dinged the metal near the camera, and missed.

She let her breath out and started her aiming process again. The surface of the Automaton was riddled with missed shots, yet it was still firing back at them, destroying the concrete around her and raising more cries of pain from their group. She wouldn't have long before the machine's shots started zeroing-in on her exposed weapon and face. She steadied her breathing again, struggling to do so as the effects of the adrenaline shot made her tremble. "_It won't be easy to focus when you're being shot at, but that's when you need to focus the most." _She focused on Lyle's words from weeks before, stopped her breath, and pulled slowly again. Her hands trembled as she followed through. The shot was closer this time, but still a miss. She could see the indent barely on the edge of the camera's lining.

She shifted to ready the rifle again when something impacted her shoulder with a sickening _thwack_. The force threw her off her knees and onto her back, her head connected harshly with the ground. She was dizzy, and as she looked up she saw bright spatters of red sliding down the bullet-riddled wall behind her. She'd been hit. Where? Strangely, she couldn't feel the pain at all, just an uncomfortable heaviness in her right arm. Her mind settled and she sat up, pushing her rifle off her chest and looking up at the Automaton in time to see its camera shatter. The machine powered down and she climbed shakily to her feet. She looked at her shoulder and saw the entry-wound; blood was soaking her shirt and running down her arm, staining the ground beneath her. Still, she didn't feel it.

"Take this and press it to the wound." Shirin appeared out of thin air in front of her and held out a torn piece of rough fabric. "It didn't go through, so keep pressure on it. How is it?"

Reverie shook her head. "I can't feel it…I don't know."

"It's the adrenaline. Good, because we need to go _now_. Give me your rifle, do you have a handgun on you?"

Reverie nodded and handed over the heavy weapon. Shirin passed it to one of the technicians that had been grouped into the panic room with them, then motioned for Reverie to follow as she lead the way. She followed behind, pressing the fabric into her wound, pistol in hand. She couldn't shoot well with her left hand, but she doubted she could shoot anyway with the overload of the fight-or flight response that was overtaking her mind. She was nauseous, shaking, and she couldn't feel the pain of her cuts, scrapes, head, or shoulder at all. She was picking up bits and pieces of the thoughts of those around her, and the streams were becoming clearer moment by moment as her sedatives were pressed down by the adrenaline shot, and the adrenaline that resulted from the situation.

They crossed the Hangar quickly. Marina was carrying the injured child, and the rest were holding hands and running alongside her. Those who could walk were helping those who were injured, and the remaining guards were keeping vigilant eyes out as the band made it towards the mouth of the empty hangar. Snow and cold were blowing in through the open mouth of the expansive room, and for a moment Reverie was reminded that they were in Eastern Europe.

They stopped before reaching the mouth of the hangar and Shirin swung open the door to a small equipment room. She pulled parkas quickly out of the room and handed them out, then handed out wool blankets for those who couldn't slip their arms into the winter jackets. A set of smaller parkas were given to Marina and the children, and Marina's eyes were filled with a moment of warmth. "Shirin…"

Shirin smiled as she slipped on her massive winter coat. "I had them ordered when we took the children in." She turned to the rest of the group. "There are two pairs of gloves in the pockets, one thick and one thin, as well as a toque. Please give the warmer set of gloves to those who don't have parkas, as well as the toque; those of you with parkas can use the hood that is attached. There's a personnel carrier waiting on the other side of the compound, we have to make it there."

Reverie watched the woman's lips move with frightening intensity, then was snapped out of her focus as a toque was placed on her head and she was handed a set of gloves. She followed the group to the mouth of the hangar and squinted against the swirling wind and icy shards that met them. She looked across the giant white expanse and could see the carrier at the far end of the compound's borders, then she looked up.

Dozens of mobile suits filled the sky, diving and shooting, slashing and crashing to the ground. The ground below was littered with pieces of all types of mobile suits, and debris rained down, mottling the white-scape with flames, red smears, and charred chunks of metal.

_-This suit is fast!-_

_-We only have eight more minutes before the drop, we have to get out of here!-_

Reverie listened to the pilots far above. The A-Laws had been planning an air strike, right? If that's what the second pilot was talking about…"Shirin! We have eight minutes!" she yelled above the noise.

Shirin looked back and nodded. "Let's go! We don't have much time!" The group followed her as she carved a path into the destroyed landscape. Reverie held the wool blanket tight around her as she looked up at the battling suits and tried to hear more.

_-That's a group of survivors! We have to make sure they get to the truck!-_

_-How can these out-of-date suits be destroying our brand-new machines!?-_

_-My control panel, I can't keep my suit in the air!-_

Deiter's voice caught her attention and she looked frantically for his suit as she chased after the others. She couldn't see clearly through the swirling, freezing winds that were being kicked up by the torment above. She listened for his voice again, the distance between herself and the others slowly growing as she focused.

_-One more shot and he'll go down!-_

_-I can't make it…but this suit…I have to take it down. I have to take him with me.-_

Her eyes grew wide as she saw Deiter's suit, and as she realized what was happening. It was badly damaged, its thrusters pumping out black smoke and its left arm and leg were missing. The reddish particles from the pseudo GN drive were barely visible. He was in trouble. An A-Laws suit was shooting towards him, gun raised and saber active.

"_No! Deiter!" _Her voice was lost to the wind as she watched the suits collide, and start to plummet.

_-Wha-what the hell!? He's suicidal! He's crazy! He'll die!-_ The A-Laws pilot was terrified, realizing that the impact would likely destroy him, his cockpit having been damaged.

_-If I can just take this one…if those people can get out of here…It'll have been worthwhile.-_

The suits grew larger and larger, and Reverie heard voices behind her yelling, but she ignored them, watching the suits drop and willing something to happen to stop the impending collision.

Nothing did.

The ground shook violently as the suits hit, kicking up a wall of harsh wind and snow that settled quickly, leaving the two suits damaged and sparking on the ground. Reverie ran towards the crater made by them, but she was stopped at its edge by strong hands that avoided her shoulder. She stared at the mangled suits, searching for anything to indicate life.

The A-Laws pilot was dead, she could feel his emptiness in her mind and see the bright red streak that marked the snow outside his cockpit. The white GN-X though, there was no blood. She struggled against the hands that held her, but suddenly stopped as she saw her brother.

He was laying half out of the cockpit, his machine sparking and smoking dangerously. She could see the deep red under him, but his head moved and looked up. He was alive!

"_Deiter!"_

"Let me _go!"_ she snapped at the technicians that were holding her back.

"We can't, the suits are gonna blow!"

No! She looked back up at her brother. He'd seen her now, and he was propped up on one arm. The look on his face terrified her, and she could feel her tears spill over her cheeks. He was calm, smiling, resolved. He knew he was going to die. He'd given up. He didn't have the look of a man that had a hope of survival. Instead, he had the carefree, sad, loving smile of her little brother.

She shook her head and struggled harder than before, breaking free from one of them. This couldn't be it, he was _right there_! He was _alive_!

"You have to come with us _now!"_ One of them pleaded, pulling on her good arm. She started to pull away, then stopped as Deiter's voice filled her mind.

_-Karen-_

She stopped breathing.

_-You have to go. This was my decision, it's what I want.-_

"_No! You can't say that! Deiter!" _She struggled again as the mobile suit ruins cracked with electricity again.

_-Promise you'll let me go-_

The world exploded.

As the suits were blown to pieces, the imprint of her brother's form was left in her eyes. Pieces of the suits rained down around them, leaving black smoky trails in the air that were whisked away by the wind. She stared until the hands started to drag her away again. "_We have to go _now_!"_

She struggled and screamed and wretched at the sudden feeling in her chest.

Then everything went white.


	26. Freeze

AN: Hi again! Very long time since we've last spoken! I've been nuts busy with everything in life, and my writing had to be put on-hold. I'm off for the summer though, so hopefully more regular updates! This chapter I had a lot of struggle with, mainly because it sits between two precipitous points in the story. I know that I've barely scratched the surface on everyone's emotions etc, but trust me, the further analysis will be coming. Reverie is still in shock in my mind and is looking for things to hold on to, so don't worry, she won't be getting over what happened so easily. This is a little filler for what will be coming. Part of the reason for such a long wait time is that I was trying to smooth this chapter out properly, but it didn't happen the way I wanted, so I've decided to post a refined version of what I have so I can continue the story.

Thanks to everyone for bearing with this long break in posting, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Freeze**

_"Sometimes, all one can do is stay perfectly still and wait for the freeze to thaw."_

Cherudim sat nestled against the rock that surrounded Katharon's Southern European Branch. Lyle and Setsuna had been tasked with Ptolemy's defense while picking up Reverie and the remaining survivors from the massacre at the organization's flagship base. Though it was a legitimate tasking, Lyle knew exactly why Tieria had assigned him to defensive duty. Sure, Cherudim was one of the better suits for the job, but the real issue was trust. Tieria didn't trust him around Katharon. He sighed and leaned back, letting his targeting system slip to the side. He couldn't blame Tieria… he didn't trust himself.

Hundreds of lives were lost at the base, and though not all of them were innocent in the fight, they didn't deserve to die. They were fighting to overthrow corruption, dishonesty, and the silent tyranny that had gripped the planet. How could so many people be forced to die when they were trying to save the world around them? His jaw was clenched but he couldn't relax. How could he? The A-Laws were mass-murderers… they were reinforcing a genocide of the just, yet once again they were being lifted up and lauded as heroes. The coup had failed, the message of the rebels had been silenced, and as far as the world knew the A-Laws had fought valiantly against a group of terrorists. His jaw ached in protest at how hard he was clenching it. The sneering words of the A-Laws telepath were stuck in his head, repeating over and over as he watched the muted news on his left monitor.

_Why protect those who'll hold the A-Laws up like battle-worn heroes after we destroy you?_

The smug bastard knew that this would happen, and he didn't give a damn. He'd known that the base was being destroyed as they fought. He knew that saving the innocents in Africa would kill the allies buried under ice. Lyle wanted to get his hands on that man… the man who'd stolen his voice had taken the last people left alive that Lyle actually gave a damn about. Good people, people who just wanted to live in a world free of men like that pilot. His anger flared and he punched the targeting system away. The faces of people he'd known were running through his head, just as they had when Memento Mori had fallen. So many people that he'd failed. Hadn't he joined Celestial Being to aid Katharon!? How had he become so attached to their goals and ideals that he'd let Katharon's base fall unchallenged!?

Not unchallenged.

The A-Laws had been challenged by pilot after pilot who fought until their suits were heaps of twisted metal and blood. Even those who'd stayed until the A-Laws pulled back hadn't been safe… they'd been left behind in an inescapable blast radius of the warheads dropped from above the clouds. Lyle knew, he'd seen the reports that Klaus had been sent. What if he'd made it to the base in time to fight…would he have been one of those men?

No. He wouldn't. He'd live, just like he had fifteen years ago in Dublin. He'd continue living… living and fighting and trying to change the world. He knew that.

He just wondered how many more people had to die before the world would change. It seemed that no matter how far he progressed he couldn't force it. First it had been in school; he'd studied as hard as he could, and had moved through the ranks at the trading firm as fast as he could in the hopes that somehow he could make a change. Would children be brainwashed into being soldiers if they had money for an education? He'd never admitted that that was his goal… he hadn't even known that it was. Hindsight was always clearer, right? After meeting Klaus it had turned to Katharon. If he ran faster, shot clearer, piloted better… maybe he could make a difference. He could save a life or protect the innocent…something like that. Now it was Celestial Being, the organization that his brother had found. Celestial Being could change the world…it already had. Here he was, trying to help them change the world again; not in the place of his brother, but for himself.

If he lived and fought and tried long enough, maybe he could do it. Maybe they could do it.

Maybe they'd change the world.

* * *

The hangar of Katharon's Southern European branch was silent upon Ptolemy's arrival. There was no curiosity, no surprise, only the stagnant feeling of failure which hung in the air. Katharon's most highly populated and necessary base had been obliterated, with only eighty survivors out of the hundreds that had lived in the underground catacombs.

Tieria had never seen a place so full of people move so slowly, so silently.

The survivors had mostly been sorted away; some to rooms, others to the medical center for recovery, and others still to other bases where they had remaining family. Only a small group remained, those who were going to leave with Ptolemy. Reverie, Marina, and the children that had been at the base stood and watched the ramp lower. The children watched with interest as the large door to the ship opened, and Marina held one back who wanted to run forward a little too soon. Tieria looked over the group for a quick head-count, then let his gaze fall on the silent telepath.

She was in terrible shape.

It wasn't necessarily the hastily-wrapped wound on her shoulder, or the cuts and scrapes and bruises. Those were bad, but he'd seen her in a similar state numerous times due to her appetite for poor decisions. What made the difference was the look in her eyes, her blank stare, and the unassuming way in which she now carried herself. He didn't understand the change… it was the same as the difference in Sumeragi after the Ptolemaios I had been destroyed. He'd been curious about it then, but he'd had no one to ask about their forecaster's strange temperament change.

He heard the others behind him and he stepped down the platform, resuming his role as self-appointed leader for the moment. Only Sumeragi, Lasse, and Feldt were there to greet their pickups; Cherudim and Double-Oh were keeping vigilant watch barely outside the hangar. Setsuna had taken the task as usual; silently and without question. Lockon's brother hadn't been as amicable, and Tieria had to curtly remind him that Cherudim would be the best choice for long-range defence in a possible enemy zone. Normally chastising the twin would have been something enjoyable, but this time Tieria had felt a strange feeling in his stomach; he didn't like it. Somehow, he understood why the man wanted to be here now... he wanted to see those he'd been worried about. Tieria shook his head to clear his thoughts. Maybe he was becoming human after-all.

"Marina Ismail, Feldt Grace will show you and the children to your rooms." He said unceremoniously. They didn't have time to waste at the base, every A-Laws team on the planet was looking for the ship.

"Thank-you." Marina picked up one of the children who seemed to be wounded and led the rest up the ramp. Lasse insisted on carrying the small girl the rest of the way to the medic's room, noting how tired the princess was. The small girl buried her head in Lasse's shoulder and shook, her bandaged leg hanging idly.

Reverie followed silently after the group. There was confusion in her eyes, even as she looked up at him for a moment. "Reverie Trau-!"

"I'll be with the medic."

He bristled when she cut him off, but he didn't say anything in response. For some reason he knew it was better to leave her alone… chastising her wouldn't do any good. Not now.

The tension in the hangar made him finally understand what Lockon had meant years ago when he'd said 'the air was heavy'. The weight was made of questions that needed answers, but that no one was willing to ask. He turned back to Ptolemy, the passengers having loaded.

"_Wait!_"

The shrill female voice stopped him. He turned to look at the voice's owner; a dark-haired woman in a mechanic's jumpsuit. He didn't respond, but watched her skid to a halt.

"I want to come with you!" she said, her chest heaving. Apparently she'd run quite a distance. She had a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, and he could see a folded leather bomber jacket resting atop it. There were grease marks on her hands and a smudge of oil on one of her cheeks. Really, she looked like she'd run straight from the other hangar.

"I think not." He replied curtly. He turned and started up the ramp again.

"I can help!"

He stopped and looked at her again. "How so?"

She stared at him for a moment, then seemed to realize that he was no longer rejecting the idea completely. "I…I'm a mobile suit mechanic. I worked in the Eastern European Branch! I know how to fix armour, programming, weapons… even the GN Drives in the GN-X units!" She spoke with an accent that Tieria couldn't place. Then again, he hadn't heard enough accents to need to place them. Lockon had once switched into an Irish accent for fun, but that was as far as his experience ran.

"We have mechanics."

She fidgeted as she thought, then straightened up again. "I can do other stuff too! I can use weapon systems, make ammunition, speak French, and I can cook!" She looked hopeful. "Kind-of…"

Tieria knew that they could use extra help, but he also knew that they couldn't trust just anyone. They'd have to find help for Ian now that the A-Laws were on their heels like dogs, but to allow someone to join them without previous research? There was no way he could authorise such a - !

"We could always use the help, come on-board."

Tieria's thoughts were interrupted by Sumeragi. He sent her a chilling glare as the young woman exclaimed her thanks.

"I promise you won't regret it!" the girl said as she bounded up the ramp and followed Lasse and Feldt.

"Sumeragi Lee Noriega…" he muttered. She stopped next to him and sighed.

"We need the help. I'm sure I can trust you with her background check…worst case we can let her go at Lagrange six if she isn't meant for work on-board."

Tieria didn't say anything as the forecaster stalked away. He'd examine every inch of the girl's past, but that didn't mean he had to like her being on-board.

* * *

Reverie had barely felt Anew treat her shoulder. She wasn't sure if it was because the woman's touch was so light, or if it was because her skin had simply stopped responding. If the numbness that she was cloaking herself in was any indication, it was the latter. Had anyone had asked, she wouldn't have been able to tell them how many stitches she had, if the bullet was removed, or if any of her cuts had needed further treatment. She didn't remember... no, she remembered, it just wasn't important.

The bullet wound and the cuts and scrapes and the tired echo of thoughts in her head were all irrelevant. The only thing that was relevant, _tangible_, was that Deiter was dead. Just thinking those three words brought back flashes of snow and ice and the bright ball of light that had enveloped him. She shivered, then shook and leaned on the wall for support. She let her head hang; she couldn't let herself fall apart, but she could feel herself cracking.

She wanted to scream and wallow in the pain and inevitable guilt of the events of the previous days, but there was no way she could. She was surrounded by people who hadn't had her luck in life. Setsuna had lost his childhood, Allelujah his memories, Saji his love. Feldt had been denied the normal childhood that Reverie had enjoyed, and Sumeragi had lost the ability to forgive herself. They'd all lost such momentous things, and that realization had lit her determination to keep her grief at bay; not forever, but she hoped long enough to realize Celestial Being's goals. Her grief would catch her, she couldn't deny that; she hoped that when it did it wouldn't have the strength to consume her. Whether it did or not was something to be left for the future. Right now she had to hold herself together.

She had committed herself to Celestial Being; an ideal. She would work as hard as she could to make that ideal become a reality, and when the dust had settled she would allow herself to feel.

Or maybe that was all a lie.

Maybe she didn't care about Celestial Being's goals… maybe she was just too scared to feel. Regardless, she'd hold onto her rationalization as much as possible and hope that she'd stay together long enough to erase the war that had taken her brother. She straightened herself, changed her course for the NILE system, and pushed down the swirling mass of emotions that knotted her throat.

She didn't know if the pain would destroy her, but if she threw herself into work, maybe she wouldn't have to find out.

It was impossible.

Well, not impossible, but definitely in the realm of question-inducing. Ailin Gallagher stood silently in front of his mirror, staring at his reflection with an intensity that was usually hidden by his mask. The pale blue walls of his Union location suite made the image before him crisper somehow, and goose bumps tickled his skin. As he examined the lines and shapes of his face, one word kept circulating in his head.

* * *

_Impossible._

After wearing his mask for years, Gallagher had never really noticed his face before. He knew what he looked like, of course. He knew that he had a strong jaw, straight nose, and high, masculine cheekbones. He knew that one of his eyes was a dazzling blue-green and that the other was a pallid grey underlined with a thin, zig-zagging scar. He knew it was a face that, if left unmasked, was attractive. He knew all of this, but he'd never realized that it held any significance. Then again, if his face held no significance, there would be no reason for him to wear his mandated mask. He'd always known this, but he never questioned the importance of the mask. He was told to wear it, and he did. He liked it. It suited him. That had changed when the pillar had fallen… he suddenly understood the significance of the mask with frightening clarity.

He and Lyle Dylandy shared the same face.

It shouldn't have been as surprising as it was… the military had been lying to him since the beginning, after-all. His shared appearance with Lyle Dylandy was a symptom of a much larger question: who had he been before? He let that thought resonate in his mind for a few moments and he let his eyes follow his scars. Part of his right arm was mottled with a swirling burn scar that slipped over his shoulder and down his back until it disappeared. His torso held more; some thin, some thick, some that were long enough that he had to turn to see them end. Being as inquisitive as he was, Gallagher had run his injuries through numerous simulations and decided that the only thing that could have left him with such an intricate pattern of scars was an explosion. Still, he knew it wasn't the explosion that the military had told him he was involved in. His explosion had been in space. How else was he so scarred but still so untouched by a blast?

There were other scars that made his theory much clearer. Here and there in sensitive areas were different scars, ones made by very specifically trained inquisitors…ones like the team that he'd led in his quest for information. Multiple bullet scars could be found all over him: some new and some so old that he'd wondered if he'd been a child soldier. His joints were lined with thin, barely visible stretch lines that suggested multiple dislocations. Both feet had sets of circular scars on top and underneath, scars that matched a device that he'd seen used on A-Laws prisoners which shattered thin foot bones over hours. When he ran his hands over his ribs he could feel multiple poorly-healed fractures that weren't in his medical file. Then there was his eye. How had he come by that particular injury when the rest of his face was perfectly unmarked? It was simple… he'd been an A-Laws captive before he'd become their captain.

He glared into the mirror. He knew that there was a vital piece of the puzzle before him, and he knew that it was something glaringly obvious. The answer was on the tip of his tongue and in the back of his head, but always pushed far out of reach by the splitting pain that overtook his brain when he tried to remember who he was. He cursed and held his head as the sharp whining headache flared in response. It was the same headache that had driven him to find the Gundam pilot's family, and he knew that it was trying to tell him something just as important now. Squeezing his eyes shut against the pain, he smiled.

In his search for a past, he was finally getting somewhere.


	27. Regeneration

**AN: **I'm sure some of you noticed, but a few days ago I uploaded Chapter 27. That was an alternate version of it, which I ended up hating very quickly. It didn't do justice to this point of the story like it needed to, and it really was a disjointed mess. This is much better, and of course the ideas that I needed for this chapter only came to me after I had uploaded it. Thank-God I got rid of it and started fresh.

I oew everyone PMs and such, and I apologize. I am finally out of my crazy school phase, and am now working full-time in a pretty sweet job. I'll be getting to my PMs later today! Let me know what you think of this.

I listened to 'Towa no Rasen', 'I Don't Wanna Die', and a special something that I will mention at the end of the chapter because I don't want to spoiler you.

* * *

**Regeneration**

_"I know that blood will be spilled, and if you won't then I will."_

_I Don't Wanna Die - HU_

The grandeur of the mansion in which Regene Regetta passed his time was completely lost on Ailin Gallagher. The things he noticed weren't the multiple sofas that had likely never been used, the decadent art displays, or the exquisite absence of dust on any surfaces. He was taking in the strange emptiness of the house, the lack of any legitimate form of security, and the garnet hue of Regene's ever-studious gaze. He watched thin tendrils of wine run along the inside of the glass that he'd been offered upon arrival. He had no intention of drinking it, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

"Is something wrong, Ailin Gallagher? It's unlike you to ignore offered wine."

He entertained the idea of replying with a retort, but he wasn't in a frame of mind to tease anyone. He was on edge, excited and nervous, and he wasn't sure what to expect from the conversation they were about to have.

"It seems that my habits and my appetite are in ill agreement today." He'd come to Regene to find out the truth about his past. When he'd been making his way to the exquisite estate he'd been full of determined curiosity. Now he was unsure if this was what he really wanted. He knew that his past was a lie, yes. He wasn't sure how badly the truth would change him, and that left him…scared. That was something he wasn't used to feeling.

Regene watched him with cautious curiosity and a smile that betrayed his knowledge of Gallagher's worries. "You've started to remember." He deduced.

"No. Not remember. I've started to reason."

"And what conclusions have you drawn?" Regene smiled as though he already knew the answer.

Contrary to his dislike of most people, Gallagher respected Regene. The man was entertaining to speak to, and he had a surprising ability to completely do away with unnecessary words. Gallagher knew that this talent had been developed as a way to deny Ribbons' Almark any new, substantive information, but it was still a much appreciated skill.

"I know that my past is a lie." He paused.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Captain?" Regene interrupted. "The past has been known to have an irrevocable effect on the present."

Ailin swallowed. Regene's caution made him more curious… he hated the uneasy feeling that was slowly replacing his usually unshakable confidence. "Then what effect will a fake past have on the future?"

Regene's grin grew a fraction larger. Any thoughts of leaving without the truth disappeared with that grin, and Gallagher's confidence seeped back into him. "You are at a crossroads, Ailin Gallagher. On one hand, you can continue with your life as it is now; a mask, a false past, an imprint on the future that will fade as quickly as your mortality. On the other, you can discover the truth, and you can return to what you once were."

Gallagher's skin tingled and the faintest wisps of his headache started to crawl across his scalp. Was he at a crossroads, or was he standing on the edge of a cliff? Didn't that depend on the contents of his true past? Regene watched him expectantly.

He knew what words Regene was waiting for, and he could hardly believe that he was so close to an answer.

"What was I?"

Regene responded by tossing a small information drive on the table. "Listen to the recording on that drive… it'll have everything you need in order to remember."

* * *

Though the danger had long since ended, the tremor in Marina's hands hadn't stopped. The tremor was a small price to pay for escaping with her life, but she knew that it was a symptom of much larger problems that were hiding under the surface. Ever since the attack on Katharon, she'd become acutely aware of the changes within her.

She had always been an advocate of peace. Witnessing conflict as she had when she was younger, with the clash between Krugis and Azadistan, she'd quickly become accustomed to preaching peace. The middle-east was no stranger to conflict; ever since its formation hundreds of years before it had been rife with conflict. Still, the wars around her country had never been as real to her as the violence in the Katharon base had been. She'd seen victims of war, she'd helped them recover and try to start new lives, but she'd never truly understood the way they felt.

Until now.

All she could think of now was the paralyzing fear that had enveloped her in the panic room. When she closed her eyes, she saw the bright red camera-eyes of the automatons. Any loud noise could set her off, and even seeing the children playing with plastic doctor toys brought her mind back to the panic she'd felt while teaching the children how to help the wounded. She shivered.

She'd come down to one of the empty observation rooms onboard the ship to escape. She couldn't look at the children right now… not when she might betray how she really felt. It had been days since she'd slept properly, and she hoped that if she could steal away for a little while, maybe she could let out some of the tension. If she could let herself cry, maybe she could finally sleep. The children always needed her though, so it had taken a few days for her to work up the trust to let Mirial, the mechanic, keep an eye on them for a little bit.

She approached the window that looked out into space and pressed her hand against the cool tempered glass. Her previous trips to space had left her in awe of the power of the universe. This time when she looked out into the darkness, all she felt was alone.

She sunk to the floor and let herself quietly sob. The light of the stars blurred together as she let herself finally release the fear that had gripped her over the last few days. Her chest heaved, and she let herself cry out loudly this time, knowing that no one on the upper decks could hear her.

"Marina Ismail."

She froze and whipped her head around to the source of the voice. She wasn't surprised to see Setsuna standing calmly in the doorway. Still, her heart was racing. She'd succumbed to fear more in the past week than she had in her life, and it was showing.

She stood and tried to dry her eyes. "Setsuna. I'm sorry, did I interrupt you?" she asked, unsure of what he'd be doing on the lower decks, if anything. She still wasn't familiar with the operations of the ship yet.

"You're upset." He stated. He approached, closing the distance between them to stare out the window. "It is unlike you to be upset."

She looked out the window with him, her face burning. She didn't want anyone to see her like that. Still, if she had to choose, she was relieved it was Setsuna. "I suppose it is."

He watched her quietly, as though he were deciding what the issue was. He remained silent, as he always was, and she appreciated it all the more. "I'm just… I've never seen violence like that before." she admitted.

"Has it changed you?" he asked, studying her with his ever-steady gaze.

She looked down and absentmindedly played with the hem of her top. "I think so." She whispered. She could feel the tears wanting to rise again, and she had to close her eyes against them.

"You are not a person who was meant to see others die. Does it make you angry? Has it given you an understanding of the need for combat?" Though his tone rarely changed, Marina almost thought he sounded hopeful. Still, it had given her the opposite of understanding; more confusion.

She shook her head. "No. It's made me realize more than ever how unnecessary war is."

"I want to understand."

She looked at him as he stared out the window. Setsuna had seen far more than she'd ever seen, and he'd single-handedly orchestrated more fear than any one person should be capable of in a lifetime. Still, here he stood, wanting to understand. She took her time to consider her response. She knew that he would wait for it, and that he would take no offense to a comfortable silence between them.

"Well…" she said, looking back out the window with him. "The A-Laws, they kill because they're told to by people sick with greed. Others want to kill them to avenge loved ones and the precious memories that they've destroyed. The A-Laws then kill these people for killing in anger." She wasn't sure that she'd clearly conveyed her point, and she looked to him for any sign that he understood.

He nodded once. "I understand."

"You do?" she asked, surprised.

"If a man kills for revenge, then is killed for being a killer, we can never attain peace."

Setsuna had managed to refine her argument so simply. "Yes, that is what I mean." She agreed.

"If that is reality, then the need for Celestial Being is even greater than before."

"What?" she questioned. She hadn't intended to further his resolve anymore. She wanted to help him see that the violence that Celestial Being instigated wasn't necessary at all. How had he taken it to further his understanding of violence?

"If Celestial Being can end violent conflict, then there will be no need to kill for revenge."

She didn't raise an argument. She didn't have one anymore… not after what she'd seen with Katharon. That idea alone made her shiver… how much had the violence managed to change her? She felt a new wave of sadness wash over her, and she wanted to sink to the ground again, but she wouldn't.

Setsuna stood and calmly watched her inner struggle. Did he know what was happening in her mind? Was he capable of understanding the beginnings of fear? He had been a child soldier… perhaps he couldn't remember what it was like to feel fear aside from conflict anymore. "Setsuna, do you ever feel fear?"

His eyes moved the slightest amount, something she'd come to understand as curiosity.

"I mean, when you aren't fighting… during times like this."

"When things are uncertain, yes."

Marina didn't respond after that. Perhaps that was why her fear was so strong…she'd never been indoctrinated by violence like the others aboard had. It was unfamiliar. She wasn't sure how, but though he'd had an atypical, violent life, Setsuna seemed to understand people better than they understood themselves. She watched him serenely gaze out the window and wondered if she'd ever be able to have that kind of quiet understanding, or if they'd ever share it. Maybe they already did in some small way.

Regardless of their understanding, Marina realized that her hands had stopped shaking.

That was enough for now.

* * *

The small information drive was light in Gallagher's palm; much lighter than an item of its importance should have been. After Regene had handed him the drive he hadn't been able to get out of the mansion fast enough. He'd made it as far as the garden to the rear of the ornate building before he'd stopped and succumbed to the curiosity that the drive deserved.

He looked around the expansive garden. It was in full bloom, as he was sure it always was. The scent of the flowers and the lightly colored petals floating on the wind created a feeling of tranquility that Gallagher felt he didn't deserve. It was interesting that the home of such twisted minds could be surrounded by so much natural beauty. Wasn't nature supposed to innately shun evil? How was it that he was able to sit in this garden, so full of life and manicured beauty, without some form of repercussion? The corner of his mouth hinted at a grin… the world was deliciously twisted. Still, he couldn't appreciate the irony as much as he normally would; the drive was stealing enough of his attention to end his analysis of the world around him. He knew that it wasn't logical to stop and listen to the audio file here, but he didn't know if he could wait. Patience had never been a problem for him before but the drive seemed to emit an unnerving aura that drew him in dangerously. After a second slow look around the garden he determined that he'd be fairly alone, and decided that the slow wind moving through the foliage could mask any sound from the enticing drive.

He sank stiffly onto the lone bench in the center of the garden and looked at the thin piece of plastic. The glow of the setting sun set him oddly at ease as he pulled out a small set of wireless ear-buds and slipped them into his ears. He pressed play before he could give the action a second thought. The drive whirred to life and he heard a crackle as the audio file started.

At first he heard nothing but the strange static of an older audio recording, and he started to wonder if Regene was mocking him. His finger hovered over the pause button as he considered stopping before the insult grew. He held out. Strained breaths filtered in above the crackle of the recording. Just from the strange shake in the breaths, Gallagher could tell that whoever it was had been badly hurt. He was used to hearing that, after-all.

Finally a cracking, strained voice filtered through.

'_What am I doing out here..?'_

It was as pained as the breathing. What had Regene given him? More unsteady breathing followed, and Gallagher thought for a moment that he could hear the beeping of a mobile suit targeting system.

'_But unless I get rid of him…' _the voice continued_. 'unless I can avenge them…I don't see how I can go on…or how I could even face the world.'_

A headache trickled over his scalp and sank through his cerebrum. He shivered, and goose-bumps dotted his skin. The voice was raspy and strained, and he didn't remember it, but he could recognize it easily enough…

It was his.

'_I've got no other choice.' _The headache spiked and he slumped forward, pressing pause and taking a few ragged breaths to calm himself. The pain was the surest indicator of the recording's truth, but he couldn't let it overpower him. He had to hear the dim recording over his own breathing. His breath levelled and he pressed play.

'_Targeted and firing!'_

He was awash with cold.

His eyes clenched shut behind his mask as his whole body was filled with electricity. The world was changing, shifting, becoming déjà vu. He couldn't see it past his shut eyes, but he could feel gravity leaving as his mind was overloaded with the absolution of a memory. The garden around him disappeared; he could no longer feel the sun. When he opened his eyes again, he was in space.

As the bright light of the afternoon faded away, starlight trickled into his vision. He was floating – no – _drifting_. He was drifting slowly through the dark emptiness of space. He didn't know where, or how, or why he was there, but a strange sense of calm had enveloped him. It didn't matter that he was drifting aimlessly; the feeling moved through him, warmed him. He realized that he couldn't see anything through his right eye, but somehow that didn't bother him. It didn't matter.

Through his remaining eye he could see pieces of blue and grey debris floating with him, but the twisted metal and singe marks mottling the paint didn't bother him. He was lost in the beauty of glowing green particles and the soft light of the sun as it was disappearing around the world.

'_Father…Mother…Amy…'_

The recording continued, yet it was so much clearer than I had been moments ago. It had blended into reality as seamlessly as the scenery had changed. The voice was so real that he could almost feel the vibrations from his throat, though he knew he hadn't uttered a word. The warm feeling that had dragged him into the darkness slowly turned to an inescapable sadness as the voice continued on.

'_I know... the things I've done may not change anything…that things will never go back to the way they were'_

Flashes of faces moved through his mind. Gallagher recognized them as Lyle Dylandy's family, but another part, an expanding and waking part of him, recognized them as his own. He started to realize that he knew the words that were about to come… like the voice they were also his own.

'_Even so… from now on… after today, the future that Lyle will know…'_

Lyle; his Adversary, his brother. The pain of old guilt rose as he understood the pilot's pivotal place in his life. He could feel the pieces of himself slipping together, growing connections, and smoothing into a full image of his identity.

'_Setsuna, did you find your answer?'_

He knew Setsuna, the pilot of Gundam Exia, the mind inside its successor. He didn't just know him, he _remembered_ him. Where minutes earlier he had only known him as an efficient killer, now he knew him as the young boy from Krugis who was on an eternal quest for answers. The boy he'd given a name to.

The pain in Gallagher's head was replaced with the pain of mourning in his chest. He could feel himself awaken – his _true_ self. He was starting to understand who he had been, and who he was becoming again. He could remember – really _remember – _who he was.

He was Neil Dylandy. He was a Gundam Meister, a member of Celestial Being. He was the son of murdered parents, the brother of a murdered sister. He was Lyle Dylandy's twin.

Gallagher could feel himself slipping away piece by piece the more he remembered. He was losing his grip on himself as he felt his memories fill his mind and his real identity surface. He was drowning in the truth.

'_You… people down there, are you satisfied with the way the world is?'_

The world loomed to his left, and the emotions he'd felt when he'd said those words flooded back through him. Anger, regret, frustration. They were for all the things that had happened, and all the things he hadn't been able to change.

'_As for me… I hate it.'_

When he'd left the world, he had hated it more than anything in his life. The world had been the one to twist so many lives, and it was the immovable force that refused to change no matter how hard he pushed. That hatred was the only thing that was familiar to Gallagher; the only remnant that had been left of himself after his transformation.

Hate.

A bright flash of heat and light enveloped him and he was temporarily suspended in a state of slow confusion before the present reappeared. He didn't notice the warmth of the afternoon sun as he crept back to reality; his skin could still feel the freezing cold of space. His eyes focused slowly and all the detail of the garden and the day returned. Warm wind brushed his face and replaced the blinding heat that he'd felt moments ago. He sat up.

The recording had stopped, and he'd been left in silence. Panic gripped him as he realized that he was still sitting in the innovator's biological refuge.

He had to get away from the mansion.

* * *

Ammunition carefully jingled back into the box that Lyle had taken it from. He'd come to the range with the intention of distracting himself from the feelings that had been lingering with him since the Katharon incident the week before, but shooting hadn't done anything but upset him. His targets were good for an average sniper, but terrible for him. He couldn't focus on anything right now, not when his mind was so focused on everything that had been lost days before. Katharon had been set back badly and their strongest technology had been destroyed. The Africa Tower had been lost, and despite Celestial Being's best efforts, sixty-thousand lives had still ended. Finally, there were the small battles that everyone on-board was faced with. So many people had lost so much, and no matter what he did, this time he couldn't push the feelings away.

Sumeragi was nowhere to be found now that she had time to feel her guilt again. Hallelujah was safely tucked away in his padded room, and Marie's alter-ego had decided to take over upon the loss of their father-figure. Ian was keeping busy with repairs, and even Lasse, Feldt, and Anew were keeping themselves unusually busy to give everyone else time to themselves. Setsuna had come back from his adventure much quieter and more stoic than he had been before, and Tieria had kept himself firmly seated on the bridge, tying everything together until Sumeragi could recover enough from her guilt.

He leaned against the wall and looked down the man-made cave of a range. How had everything become so blurred? Even he wasn't himself… he was far from it. He'd been up all night trying to distract himself from the recurring dreams he'd been having of the last time he and Neil had seen each other. He knew it was a product of the A-Laws pilot's voice, yet he couldn't shrug off the dreams like he would have before.

Everything had changed.

He slid the ammunition box back into its secure position and flung his uniform jacket over his shoulder. He needed to take his mind off everything, and simulations in Cherudim could possibly be the solution.

He was caught by surprise when the door slid open and Reverie stepped into the room. Her footprints echoed in the large space, and she stopped when she saw him.

"Sorry…I can come back later." She half-mumbled.

"I was just leaving." He said. He wasn't sure why she'd apologize for being in the range, but knew that it had to be a small symptom of the way her life had changed in the last week. He'd been worried about her over the past days… she spent hour after hour in the NILE system, entering reports and keeping a watchful eye out for any A-Laws activity as they made their way to Lagrange Six. It wasn't healthy…she barely slept. She was up before he was, and the Nile System was always active after hours. Shia, the medic, had come to him wondering where she was for her nightly injections, but he'd had no answer for him other than to point at the hallway leading to the predictive forecasting system.

Reverie looked at him skeptically, her eyes lined with exhaustion. "Are you leaving?"

He'd stopped moving for the door when she'd stepped in, and he didn't want to leave now. There was a time when she'd been a close friend on board, when he'd look forward to running into her. Somehow that had changed. He didn't regret running into her, but somehow they'd lost their camaraderie. It was pointless. She moved to head back out the door when she realized that he wasn't moving. "You know…"

She stopped.

"…everything from before seems immature now, doesn't it?" he finished, watching her eyes. He hadn't realized how close they were until now.

She looked away, and he realized that she'd lost the confidence that she'd originally cloaked herself with when they'd first met. She nodded. "I'd still give the world to go back." She stepped towards the door, attempting to flee their stilted conversation.

"Wait." he caught her wrist lightly and she froze. She didn't look back, and he didn't expect her to. As long as she was listening, he was all right. "Rev…" her head moved a fraction to acknowledge him. "If you need to get it off your chest, you can stop by any time."

"Let's hope that it doesn't come to that." She muttered, then disappeared through the door.

He hoped it did. He didn't know what to say or how to make anything better, but he knew that he didn't want to lose her to the same insanity that had stolen his brother.

* * *

Gallagher's chest thudded loudly as he maneuvered his pseudo-gundam into space. His body was covered in sweat, his right eye throbbed, and his mind was fragmenting. He could feel himself being fought in his mind… his other self was trying to re-emerge and take control, but he couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let himself be destroyed, not yet.

His mind was being torn in two by loud, insanely detailed memories that ripped him out of the present. This was nothing like the memory that had gripped him when he'd listened to the recording in the garden. These memories came so suddenly and so intensely that he'd frequently found himself veering off course as he was ripped into another time. Neil Dylandy was breaking through Gallagher's carefully masked surface, and he wanted to force him back into the repression box that he'd come from.

The Proculeza ripped through the atmosphere just in time for Gallagher's vision to blur again, and he yelled in frustration as his console disappeared before him. He snarled through his teeth as he was ripped into a quiet hallway in a building that he didn't remember, but which Neil Dylandy did. He shook his head violently and forced himself to stay conscious. He couldn't afford to keep flip-flopping between memories and reality, despite his mind's insistence.

"_What are you doing here, Neil?"_

The cockpit came back into dim view as the memory played itself out against his conscious mind. He could hear voices above the roar of the atmosphere around the Gundam, even as he accelerated rapidly.

"_I can't just visit my brother at school?"_

He was fragmenting.

"_Do whatever you want, Neil. That's what you've always done."_

Gallagher laughed in the empty cockpit. Was this really how his existence would end? Pushed aside by a man who was deluded enough to think that he could end war? He could feel Neil Dylandy's determination fighting his own, and it was a fight that he was sure he didn't want to lose. One of them would win, and memories or not, Gallagher did not want to die. He would do whatever it took to stay alive and in control, which was why he was shooting into space at that very moment.

If he could destroy Celestial Being, he could destroy Neil Dylandy's will to live. It wouldn't be easy, but they wouldn't see it coming. He knew where Celestial Being's bases were, where their supply routes were, and where the Ptolemaios II would likely dock.

Where the last remaining member of Neil Dylandy's family was.

The thought of killing Neil Dylandy's brother made him giddy… he could feel the other part of him fight harder for control the longer the idea turned over in his mind.

"How will you live with yourself if you've killed your brother, _Neil Dylandy!?_" Gallagher challenged. His voice was crazed as it filled the cockpit. His stomach turned violently and he laughed with glee… it was as sure a sign as any that Neil Dylandy wouldn't take that development very well.

He wondered what it would be like to murder a piece of himself.

He grinned.

It would be just like murdering anyone else.

* * *

Tee-hee! I listened to Neil's death to get in the mood to write the scene of 'him' in the Garden.

Cookies to those who guessed this right away when Gallagher was introduced in Ch.10 *cough* Stormy *cough*.


End file.
